| Charles Johnson | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Johnson in 2018 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1971-07-20)July 20, 1971 (age 54) Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 6, 1994, for the Florida Marlins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 11, 2005, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .245 |
| Home runs | 167 |
| Runs batted in | 570 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Charles Edward Johnson Jr. (born July 20, 1971) is an American former professionalbaseball player.[1] He played as acatcher inMajor League Baseball with theFlorida Marlins (1994–1998, 2001–2002), theLos Angeles Dodgers (1998), theBaltimore Orioles (1999–2000), theChicago White Sox (2000), theColorado Rockies (2003–2004), and theTampa Bay Devil Rays (2005).
The two-time National LeagueAll-Star player was considered one of the best defensive catchers of his era, winning four consecutiveGold Glove Awards between1995 and1998.[1][2] He was a member of the1997world champion Florida Marlins team and is one of only three catchers in Major League history to catch at least 100 games in a single season without committing anerror.[3]
Johnson was born inFort Pierce, Florida, where he graduated fromFort Pierce Westwood High School in Fort Pierce, Florida. He was drafted by theMontreal Expos in the first round of the1989 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign, and decided to enroll at theUniversity of Miami, where he played for theMiami Hurricanes baseball team. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the first round of the1992 Major League Baseball draft.[4] He played with the A-levelKane County Cougars in 1993 and the AAPortland Sea Dogs.
In1995, Johnson's reputation as a skilled defensive player was solidified when he became the fourth catcher in Major League history to win a Gold Glove Award in hisrookie season, joiningJohnny Bench,Carlton Fisk andSandy Alomar Jr.[5] Although his offensive statistics weren't impressive, he made up for those shortcomings by helping his team with his superior defensive skills.[6] In1996, Johnson caughtAl Leiter'sno-hitter against theColorado Rockies.[7] Johnson set a Major League record in1997 by playing in 123games without committing a singleerror, earning him his firstAll-Star selection, and helping the Marlins win the1997 World Series against theCleveland Indians.[8][9][10][11] Johnson led the Marlins in the Series with 10hits, batting .357 including onehome run.[12] Along with winning his third consecutive Gold Glove Award in 1997, he also caught his second no-hitter whenKevin Brown no-hit the Giants on June 10.[13]
In1998, the Marlins traded Johnson along withBobby Bonilla,Jim Eisenreich,Gary Sheffield and Manuel Barriosto to theLos Angeles Dodgers in exchange forMike Piazza andTodd Zeile.[14] After finishing the season with the Dodgers, he played for two years in theAmerican League with the Baltimore Orioles and theChicago White Sox.[14] He had his best year offensively in2000, when he had a .304batting average along with 31 home runs and 91RBIs, during a season in which he played 84 games for the Orioles and 44 games for the White Sox.[1]
In2001 he was traded back to the Marlins, where he hit .285 with 16 home runs by mid-season to earn his secondAll-Star berth.[15][16] He would also catch his third no hitter whenA. J. Burnett no hit theSan Diego Padres on May 12.[17] The only Marlins no-hitters Johnson has not caught for Florida were in2006, whenAníbal Sánchez threw a no-hitter inDolphin Stadium against theArizona Diamondbacks,2013 whenHenderson Álvarez no-hit theDetroit Tigers, and2017 whenEdinson Vólquez no-hit theDiamondbacks.
After the2002 season, the Marlins traded Johnson to the Colorado Rockies where he played for two seasons.On April 27,2004, he, rookieMatt Holliday, andJeromy Burnitz combined to slug back-to-back-to-back home runs against theMarlins, the sixth such occasion in franchise history.[18] After playing for Colorado, he ended his career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, playing his final game on June 11,2005 at the age of 33.[14]
In a twelve-season major league career covering 1,188games, Johnson had a .245 batting average along with 167home runs, 570runs batted in and a .993fielding percentage.[1] His .993 fielding percentage ranks 16th all-time among major league catchers.[19] Along with his four Gold Glove Awards, Johnson twice led National League catchers in fielding percentage, and once each in baserunnerscaught stealing andassists.[1] During his playing career, he ranked second only toIván Rodríguez in throwing out baserunners, with a 39% average.[20] He earned two All-Star berths as well as winning aWorld Series during his career. His three no hitters caught ties him with several other players for third place on the all-time list behind the four no hitters caught byJason Varitek andCarlos Ruiz.[21] Johnson played more games as a catcher than any other player in Marlins history with 582.[22]
Johnson is a member of thePortland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame.[23]
Johnson now lives in Miami with his wife Rhonda. They have two sons.Brandon, who is a wide receiver for thePittsburgh Steelers in theNational Football League (NFL)[24] and formercollege football wide receiver for theUniversity of Tennessee, and Beau, who plays college football as atight end forGeorgia Southern University. Johnson is a cousin of former Major LeaguerFred McGriff.[25]
· Baseball Almanac
