Ben Johnson (outfielder)
| Ben Johnson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Left fielder | |||
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Born: June 18, 1981 Memphis, Tennessee | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| June 26, 2005, for the San Diego Padres | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 10, 2007, for the New York Mets | |||
| MLB 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 Beltrán, 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.
Ben made his professional coaching debut with the Arizona and Goodyear Centennials of the Freedom Pro Baseball League in 2012 and 2013. Ben is currently an Arizona Diamondback pro scout.
References
- ↑ "Ben Johnson player file". New York Mets. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- SportsNet Play info
- Baseball Cube player info