| Ron Johnson | |
|---|---|
Johnson as manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox, 2009. |
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| First baseman | |
| Born: March 23, 1956 Long Beach, California |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 12, 1982 for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 22, 1984 for the Montreal Expos | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .261 |
| Games Played | 22 |
| Teams | |
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As Player |
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Ronald David Johnson (born March 23, 1956 in Long Beach, California) is an American minor league baseball manager, the 2012 skipper of the Norfolk Tides of the International League, Triple-A farm system affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. He is a former first base coach of the Boston Red Sox, and the former manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League from 2005–2009. During his playing career, Johnson was a first baseman for the Kansas City Royals and Montreal Expos in his brief major league career from 1982-84.
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When in high school, Johnson turned down football scholarships to UCLA and Fresno State to instead play baseball. Johnson was originally drafted by the California Angels in the 13th round of the 1976 June amateur draft, but did not sign. The Fresno State graduate was a first-team All-American selection in 1978 before being drafted by Kansas City in the 24th round, the 595th overall pick. He made his major league debut with the Royals on September 12, 1982. On December 15, 1983, he was traded by Royals to the Expos for Tom Dixon. Shortly after his playing days ended, he became a coach in the Royals minor league system for six years.
Ron Johnson made his managerial debut with the Baseball City Royals (A) of the Florida State League in 1992. In 1995 he won Texas League Manager of the Year honors after guiding the Wichita Wranglers (AA) to the Texas League playoffs. In 1998 he reached Triple-A with the Omaha Royals and in 1999 he led that club to a 1st-place finish in the Pacific Coast League. Johnson posted six winning seasons in his eight years managing in the Royals organization.
Johnson joined the Boston Red Sox organization in 2000 as manager of the Sarasota Red Sox (A) of the Florida State League. In 2002 Johnson was promoted to Double-A as manager of the Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League. When the Red Sox switched Double-A affiliations to the Portland Sea Dogs in 2003, he moved with them and was manager of the Sea Dogs for the next two seasons. His 2003 club went 72-70 and missed the Eastern League playoffs by just a game and a half. In 2004, Johnson once again had Portland near .500 for much of the year before finishing at 69-73 and in a tie for 4th-place in the Eastern League Northern Division. From 2005 to 2009, Johnson served as manager for the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox.
On November 23, 2009, it was announced that Johnson would become the new first base coach for the Red Sox.[1]
On October 5, 2011, it was announced that Johnson was let go as first base coach for the Red Sox, following the departure of Manager Terry Francona. [2] He now works as the AAA manager for the Baltimore Orioles.
Johnson lives in Orlando, Florida with his wife Daphne and five children.
His son Chris was drafted in the 37th round by the Red Sox in June 2003 but instead opted for college; and was later drafted by the Houston Astros.
Johnson was forced to take an emergency leave from his coaching duties on August 1, 2010, after his youngest daughter was seriously injured in an equestrian accident.[3] He missed the rest of the season and returned to the Red Sox at the outset of spring training in 2011.
| Preceded by Buddy Bailey |
Pawtucket Red Sox manager 2005–2009 |
Succeeded by Torey Lovullo |
| Preceded by Tim Bogar |
Boston Red Sox first-base coach 2010–2011 |
Succeeded by Alex Ochoa |
| Preceded by Gary Allenson |
Norfolk Tides manager 2012– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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