Reed Johnson

Infobox MLB player
name = Reed Johnson

---

width = 200
caption =
team = Chicago Cubs
number = 9
position = Outfielder
birthdate = birth date and age|1976|12|8
birthplace = city-state|Riverside|California
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = April 17
debutyear = 2003
debutteam = Toronto Blue Jays
statyear = September 30, 2008
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .284
stat2label = Home runs
stat2value = 48
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 284
teams =
*Toronto Blue Jays (by|2003-by|2007)
*Chicago Cubs (by|2008-present)

Reed Cameron Johnson (born December 8, 1976 in Riverside, California) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs.

College career

Johnson grew up in Temecula, a suburb of Riverside, and attended Temecula Valley High School, where he participated in baseball and soccer. He was an All-League and an All-County selection.

Johnson attended college at Cal State Fullerton and was named an Academic All-American. He also set records by being the first Cal State Fullerton player to score 100 runs and collect 100 hits in a season.

Professional career

Before playing with the Blue Jays, Johnson played for the Syracuse SkyChiefs, of the club's AAA affiliate. Johnson made his Major League debut on April 17, 2003. He finished his rookie season, with a .294 batting average, ten home runs, and fifty-two runs batted in.” [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/gamelog?statsId=7118&year=2003 Reed Johnson #9 CF - Game Log] ”, ESPN. Retrieved on June 15, 2008] Johnson also won the American League Rookie of the Month Award for the month of September. [cite web|url=http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/tor/news/tor_press_release.jsp?ymd=20030930&content_id=552136&vkey=pr_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor|title=American League Rookie of the Month, September 2003.|publisher=Toronto Blue Jays/MLB.com]

Johnson extended his tenure with the Blue Jays on December 7, 2005, after signing a one-year extension worth $1,425,000 dollars.

At the start the by|2006 season, Reed was platooned with Frank Catalanotto in left field, as they had been for the previous two seasons. In a Toronto Star article, Reed Johnson was quoted as saying, "I train so that I can play every day. I don't train to be a fourth outfielder, or there would be a lot less training. I wouldn't be waking up as early. I wouldn't be trying to be in the shape that I'm in. I know my body can take the pounding of an everyday season".

After posting a .319 batting average in the 2006 season, and a .390 on-base percentage, Reed was named the starting left fielder in July, leaving Catalanotto as the odd man out. Catalanotto also rivaled Johnson's production, but Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi stated that Reed "did everything we asked of him this year," and felt that he needed to be rewarded for his hard work.

One of Johnson's more dubious honors is his propensity for being hit by pitches. Consistently among the Blue Jays leaders in being hit, in 2006 Johnson moved past Ed Sprague to take second on the Blue Jays all-time hit by pitch list, trailing only Carlos Delgado. [cite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TOR/leaders_bat.shtml|title=Toronto Blue Jays batting leaders|publisher=Baseball-Reference] He is also one of several players to be hit three times in one game (the major league record); Johnson was hit three times in a game against the Texas Rangers on April 15, 2005. He equalled this feat again on April 7, 2006, against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. [cite web|url=http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/tor/history/single_game_records.jsp|title=Blue Jays Single-Game Records|publisher=Toronto Blue Jays|accessdate=2006-08-08] [cite web|url=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260407114|title=News article from April 7, 2006, Blue Jays vs. Devil Rays.|publisher=Yahoo! Sports]

The Blue Jays and Johnson agreed to a one-year $3.075 million contract, avoiding salary arbitration on February 22007. [ [http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/tor/y2007/m02/d02/c1793310.jsp Jays keep non-arbitration streak intact ] ]

Early in the Blue Jays 2007 season, Reed injured his back and had a herniated disc which required surgery. He was placed on the 15-Day disabled list and later, he was placed on the 60-Day disabled list, and joined a plethora of Blue Jays players on the DL. On July 7, 2007, he was activated from the 60-Day DL and rejoined the Toronto Blue Jays.

On January 22008, the Blue Jays signed Johnson to a one-year contract worth $3.275 million. Johnson's exact role on the Blue Jays had yet to be determined. The presence of veteran Matt Stairs, who was kept on despite his age due to his solid performance in 2007, probably had Johnson relegated to a platoon situation similar to the Catalanotto/Johnson platoon of a few seasons ago. Also, the signing of all-star shortstop David Eckstein removed Johnson from his familiar role as leadoff hitter. Eckstein's signing caused a stir among Blue Jays fans, primarily due to the popularity of the two players he displaced from their regular roles: Johnson, and shortstop John McDonald. The Blue Jays also signed outfielder Shannon Stewart to a minor league contract, adding some depth to the position in response to the injuries of last season. Stewart, who played in 855 games for Toronto from by|1995 to 2003, was a dependable and consistent force at the top of the Blue Jays lineup for many years, although he is considered a liability in the field at times because of an injury suffered playing football which greatly reduced his throwing strength. His presence at spring training made Johnson's role all the more uncertain. Reed was released by the Jays on On March 23, and replaced by Stewart.

On March 25, he signed a one year deal with the Chicago Cubs. Reed platoons center field with Jim Edmonds and together they are known as the "Two-Headed Monster." Johnson "batted in" a game winning run after he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded on June 12, against the Atlanta Braves. [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=Aiiynz_tQBkDwlK.QC1ygpUV0bYF?gid=280612116 Cubs beat Braves 3-2 in 11 innings on hit batsman - MLB - Yahoo! Sports ] ] During a crucial game against the the Milwaukee Brewers, Johnson later executed a perfect hard slide into second base that prevented a double play, and allowed the Cubs to take a one-run lead. [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=280728108]

Reed's popularity by Blue Jays fan was shown on June 13, 2008 when he pinched-hit in the top of the 9th inning and was giving a standing ovation by the fans at the Rogers Centre.

Accomplishments

* In 2006, led all leadoff hitters in the American League with a .390 on-base percentage. [ [http://bluejays.scout.com/2/618839.html Scout.com: 2/14: Spring Training News and Notes ] ]

Personal life

Growing up, Johnson participated in gymnastics. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois .

References

External links