Tag Archives: Kelly Johnson

July 24, 2015

Mets Make a Good Move

Leave a reply

The Mets create infield depth by acquiring Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson from the Braves.

The best bet is Uribe takes over third base with Daniel Murphy shifting back to second — and maybe not starting every day — and Wilmer Flores becoming a bench player or sharing time at short with Ruben Tejada.

Johnson, 33, is hitting .275/.321/.451 with nine homers and 34 RBI this season. He’s played first, second, third, left and right this season. He’s a viable option at second over Murphy and could also be used to spell Curtis Granderson in right or protect Conforto from tough matchups early in his big-league career.

Given the poor offense of the Mets this season, these two players easily improve the team.

For the Braves, John Gant has some good numbers, but his 22 and just getting to AA. Robert Whalen is a year younger and looking like a better pitching prospect.

December 4, 2013 May 27, 2013

Johnson Power

Leave a reply

Kelly Johnson hit two more home runs as the Rays beat the Marlins 10-6. Johnson’s HR total goes to ten, putting him on a pace for around 30 on the season. All ten came against right-handers this season.

Johnson played second for many years and showed good power at the position. He had a great year in 2010, hitting 26 homers with a high OBP. He then saw two seasons of regression, as his homers and OBP fell.

Interestingly, his first year with a team seems to be his best. He came up with the Braves to stay in 2007 and posted an excellent OBP with some pop. His 2010 season saw him join the Diamondbacks. He was traded to the Blue Jays in 2011, and improved in his few months with Toronto. Now he’s with the Rays and hitting well again. I guess he can’t be comfortable in his surroundings.

October 19, 2011

Talking Johnson

Leave a reply

David Laurila sits down with Kelly Johnson for a discussion with the second baseman about his career and his approach to the game. A sample:

DL: When you’re studying video, do you pay particular attention to how a pitcher attacks hitters who are similar to you?

KJ: Oh, yeah, although I look at all lefties. And I always check with guys in scoring position, because a lot of times that will tell you what a pitcher wants to throw, and what he feels comfortable throwing. A lot of times you’ll see a guy nitpicking fastballs and coming in sort of for show. Then, all of sudden, he’ll want to throw something softer, for a strike, to try to get a rollover, or whatever. If that’s a pitch you see well out of this guy’s hand, and you feel comfortable with it, that’s the one. But pitchers are different, so sometimes it’s hard to pick out the one you want to hit.

I like the idea of looking at pitchers in what is essentially a high leverage situation. That’s where a batter will see his best pitches. By looking at those PA, a batter can learn a lot about a pitcher in less time.

September 1, 2011

Pedaling Infielders

Leave a reply

Kelly Johnson and Brett Lawrie each missed the cycle by a triple as the Blue Jays defeated the Orioles 8-6 Thursday afternoon. With Lawrie reaching base at a .392 clip and slugging .713, I wonder if it isn’t time to move him up around Jose Bautista in the batting order. He can either bat behind Jose and clean up when the home run champ walks, or bat in front of him and give Jose more RBI opportunities. It’s time to get him out of the bottom of the order.

August 23, 2011

Johnson Heads North

Leave a reply

The Diamondbacks traded Kelly Johnson to the Toronto Blue Jays:

Arizona traded the struggling Johnson to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, picking up second basemen Aaron Hill and John McDonald in return. The Diamondbacks also placed right-hander Jason Marquis on the 60-day disabled list with a fractured right fibula.

Power wise, Johnson hit well in May and July, but did a poor job getting on base through the season. Hill, however, has hit poorly all season, so I don’t see where this really helps the team. McDonald at least gives them a solid defensive player in the middle of the diamond.

May 30, 2011

Cycle Time

Leave a reply

Kelly Johnson is scheduled to bat third in the bottom of the eighth, needing a single for the cycle. He’s four for five with a double, triple and two home runs as the Diamondbacks lead the Marlins 15-4.

Update: Johnson cycled last season in an Arizona loss on July 23rd.

Update: Johnson fouls off the first two pitches. He then swings and missed to end his cycle quest.

February 15, 2011 February 15, 2011

Managing Johnson’s Salary

Leave a reply

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Kelly Johnson settled before facing an arbitrator, much in Johnson’s favor:

Infielder Kelly Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $5.85 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration.

Johnson hit .284 last season with 26 homers, 71 RBIs and 36 doubles, and made $2.35 million.

When players and teams exchanged proposed arbitration figures last month, he had asked for $6.5 million and had been offered $4.7 million.

The mid-point was $5.6 million, so the DBacks probably thought Johnson had a pretty good case. Johnson’s combination of OBP and power was up with the elite players at the position in 2010. He also showed durability at the position. Even six million is not a lot to spend for that much value.

Johnson will be a free agent at the end of the season. Playing 2011 as a 29 year old, the Diamondbacks will get the last year of his prime at a low cost, and then allow someone else to pay for Kelly’s decline. Going above the mid-point to settle was a very good move in that regard.

January 19, 2011

Handy Arbitration Numbers

Leave a reply

MLB Fanhouse posted the numbers exchanged by players and teams for arbitration. Apart from Josh Hamilton and Jose Bautista, the numbers most out of whack between a player and team belongs to Kelly Johnson and the Diamondbacks. Johnson asked for $6.5 million while Arizona offered $4.7 million. Johnson posted the best year of his career after suffering through the worst year of his career. The $6.5 million for a good middle infielder in his third year of arbitration seems pretty reasonable to me. The DBacks may want to settle here.

July 24, 2010

Losing Cycle

Leave a reply

Kelly Johnson hit for the cycle in Arizona’s 7-4 loss to San Francisco Friday night. Losing cycles are rare. Of the 146 cycles in the Day by Day Database (back to 1957), only 23 were for losing teams. When one player hits that well, it tends to be a good night for the team. Indeed, the Diamondbacks collected 11 hits and eight walks, but only managed four runs, going 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

The win puts the Giants in first place in the NL Wild Card race with a 1/2 game lead over the Reds. Only 5 1/2 games separate the seven contenders for the slot.

April 29, 2010 April 25, 2010

Slammin’ Johnson

Leave a reply

Kelly Johson and Mark Reynolds each hit their seventh home run of the season as the Diamondbacks downed the Phillies 8-6 Sunday afternoon. For Johnson, the home run puts him one behind his total for all of 2009, and almost half way to his career high of 16 home runs in 2007. He now owns 12 RBI, meaning he drove in another runner just five times. That’s due to his batting in the lead-off slot. If Johnson keeps hitting like this, A.J. Hinch might think about moving him down in the order, but he’s getting on base so well it may make sense to move a better hitter into the ninth slot.

December 29, 2009