Alex Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alex Johnson |
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Johnson in 1968
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| Left fielder | |||
| Born: December 7, 1942 Helena, Arkansas |
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| Died: February 28, 2015 (aged 72) Detroit, Michigan |
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| debut | |||
| July 25, 1964, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 1976, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .288 | ||
| Home runs | 78 | ||
| Runs batted in | 525 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Alexander Johnson (December 7, 1942 – February 28, 2015) was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). His career lasted from 1964 to 1976.
Alex Johnson played for many teams. These included the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds and California Angels. Later, he joined the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Detroit Tigers.
He was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year in 1968. In 1970, he was an American League All-Star. He also won the batting title that year. His brother, Ron, was a NFL running back.
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Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Alex Johnson was born in Helena, Arkansas. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan, with his two brothers and sisters. His brother Ron Johnson became an NFL running back.
Alex played baseball with friends like Bill Freehan and Willie Horton. He went to Northwestern High School. There, he was a great offensive lineman in football.
He even got a scholarship offer to play football at Michigan State University. But Alex chose to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies instead. He wanted to play professional baseball.
Starting with the Phillies
Johnson quickly moved up in the Phillies' farm system. This is where young players develop their skills. He hit very well, with a .322 batting average. He also hit 40 home runs and had 187 runs batted in (RBIs) in two seasons.
This earned him a spot on the Phillies' main team in 1964. However, he was sent back to the minor leagues briefly. He soon returned after hitting .316 with 21 home runs.
In his first MLB game, Johnson played great. He got three hits and two RBIs. He continued to play well in his first month. The Phillies often used him in a platoon in left field. This means he shared playing time with another player. In October 1965, the Phillies traded Johnson to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Time with the Cardinals
When Johnson joined the St. Louis Cardinals, they had a strong outfield. Hall of Famer Lou Brock moved to right field to make room for Johnson. But Johnson struggled at first. He was sent to the minor leagues again in 1966. He was named the "Most Dangerous Hitter" in the Pacific Coast League that year.
Johnson returned to the Cardinals in 1967. He mostly played as a pinch hitter or backup. The Cardinals won the World Series that year. However, Johnson did not play in the postseason games. Before the 1968 season, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds.
Success with the Cincinnati Reds
In Cincinnati, Pete Rose moved to right field. This opened up the left field spot for Johnson. Alex had a reputation for being "moody." But he impressed Reds manager Dave Bristol during spring training. He earned the starting job in left field.
Johnson was known for starting seasons slowly. But in May 1968, he started hitting very well. He finished the season with a .312 batting average. This was the fourth best in the league. Because of his great season, he was named the Sporting News' National League Comeback Player of the Year.
In 1969, Johnson hit 17 home runs. This matched his career total before that season. He also had a career-high 88 RBIs and 86 runs scored. He finished with a .315 batting average. Even with his strong hitting, Johnson had some trouble in the outfield. He made many errors. The Reds traded him to the California Angels for some pitchers.
California Angels and Challenges
Johnson started strong with the California Angels in 1970. He led the league with a .366 batting average through May. He was selected for the All-Star team. He continued to hit well all season.
In the final game of the season, Johnson won the American League batting title. He got two hits in three tries. He was taken out of the game to make sure he kept the title.
During his time with the Angels, Johnson faced some challenges. He was fined by his manager, Lefty Phillips, for not running hard on plays. This continued into 1971. He was benched several times for not playing with full effort. Johnson felt that some of his problems with the team were due to disagreements.
On June 26, 1971, the Angels suspended Johnson. They said he was "not using his best efforts." The players' union, led by Marvin Miller, helped Johnson. They argued that he was having emotional difficulties. An independent arbitrator looked at the case. The arbitrator decided that Johnson was emotionally unwell. He ruled that Johnson should have been on the disabled list. This meant Johnson received his back pay.
Moving to Cleveland and Texas
After the 1971 season, the Angels made many changes. Johnson was traded to the Cleveland Indians. He started well with the Indians in 1972. His batting average reached .328 in May. But he then had a long slump.
His hitting problems were partly blamed on a heel injury. He mostly played as a pinch hitter for a while. He finished the season strong, batting .351 in the last part of the year.
In 1973, Johnson was traded to the Texas Rangers. The Rangers' manager, Whitey Herzog, warned him about discipline. But Johnson played well for the Rangers. The American League started using the designated hitter rule in 1973. This allowed Johnson to focus on hitting. He played 116 games as a designated hitter. He batted .287 with eight home runs and 68 RBIs. He had 179 hits, which was a team record at the time.
Johnson became an everyday outfielder again in 1974. But by September 1974, the Rangers traded him to the New York Yankees.
Final Years in New York and Detroit
Johnson joined the New York Yankees when they were in first place. In his first game, he hit a home run in extra innings to win the game. But he struggled after that. He batted only .214 in ten games with the Yankees. The Yankees did not win their division that year.
He started the 1975 season as the Yankees' regular designated hitter. But a knee injury limited his playing time. He was released by the Yankees in September.
In 1976, Johnson signed with his hometown Detroit Tigers. He had a good year, batting .268 with six home runs and 45 RBIs. He played as the team's everyday left fielder. After the season, he was released by the Tigers. He played briefly in the Mexican League before retiring from baseball.
Life After Baseball
After retiring, Alex Johnson returned to Detroit. In 1985, he took over his father's business, Johnson Trucking Service. The company rented dump trucks to construction companies.
He enjoyed his life away from baseball. In 1998, he told Sports Illustrated that he liked not traveling all the time. He enjoyed a "nice, normal life."
Personal Life
Alex Johnson married Julia Augusta in 1963. They adopted a daughter, Jennifer, in 1969. Their son, Alex Jr., was born in 1972. Alex and Julia later divorced.
Alex Johnson passed away on February 28, 2015. He died from complications of prostate cancer.
Career Statistics
| Games | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | BA | OBP | SLG | FLD% |
| 1322 | 4948 | 4623 | 550 | 1331 | 180 | 33 | 78 | 525 | 113 | 244 | .288 | .326 | .392 | .953 |
See Also
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
Images for kids
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Johnson in 1974
