Ben Johnson (outfielder)

Ben Johnson
Left fielder
Born: June 18, 1981
Memphis, Tennessee
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 26, 2005 for the San Diego Padres
Last MLB appearance
June 10, 2007 for the New York Mets
Career statistics
Batting average .230
Home runs 7
Runs batted in 26
Teams

Benjamin Joseph Johnson (born June 18, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. Johnson was named the Memphis area High School Player of the Year in baseball at Germantown High School in 1999. He was also recruited to play football at Mississippi State University, but opted for baseball instead.[1]

He was a 4th round draft pick in 1999 by the St. Louis Cardinals, and was traded the following year to the San Diego Padres, along with Heathcliff Slocumb for Carlos Hernández and Nathan Tebbs.

He worked his way up to Triple-A in 2005, where he was an All-Star outfielder and the San Diego Padres Minor League Player of the Year, hitting .312 with 25 home runs. He was brought up to the majors that year and received limited playing time with the Padres, hitting .213 in 75 at-bats, and .250 with 4 home runs in 120 at-bats in 2006.

He was not selected for San Diego's 2006 playoff roster, and after the season ended he was traded to the New York Mets with relief pitcher Jon Adkins in exchange for relievers Heath Bell and Royce Ring.

Since joining the Mets, Johnson has been shuttled up and down between New York and Triple-A New Orleans. During June, he received some playing time when all three Mets regular outfielders (Shawn Green, Carlos Beltran, and Moisés Alou) were injured.

Johnson was not offered a new contract by the Mets and became a free agent on December 12, 2007. However, the Mets brought Johnson back by signing him to a minor league deal on February 14, 2008, and invited him to spring training. Johnson was released by the Mets in early May 2008. In 2009, Johnson attempted a comeback from multiple injuries with the Orange County Flyers of the Golden Baseball League.

References

  1. ↑ "Ben Johnson player file". New York Mets. Retrieved 2007-06-04.

External links