Lamar Johnson (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lamar Johnson |
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| First baseman / Designated hitter | |||
| Born: September 2, 1950 Bessemer, Alabama, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| May 18, 1974, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 2, 1982, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .287 | ||
| Home runs | 64 | ||
| Runs batted in | 381 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
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Lamar Johnson Sr. (born September 2, 1950) is a retired American professional baseball player. He also worked as a hitting coach for several Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. Johnson played as a first baseman in the MLB from 1974 to 1982. He played for the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers. He was a right-handed batter and thrower.
One of his best days as a player was on June 19, 1977. He played against the Oakland Athletics. Before the game, Johnson sang the National Anthem. Then, he hit two home runs during the game. These were the only hits for the White Sox that day. The White Sox won the game 2-1.
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Lamar Johnson's Coaching Career
Lamar Johnson started his coaching career in 1988. The Milwaukee Brewers hired him. He became a hitting instructor for their minor league teams. He coached in the Brewers' minor league system until 1994.
Coaching for the Brewers
In 1991 and 1992, he was the hitting coach for the Denver Zephyrs. This was the Brewers' top minor league team. In 1993 and 1994, he managed the Stockton Ports. This was another minor league team.
In December 1994, Lamar Johnson became the hitting coach for the main Brewers team. This was a big step up! The team's manager, Phil Garner, chose him. In 1994, the Brewers had scored only 547 runs. But with Johnson's help, they scored 740 runs in 1995. Then, in 1996, they scored 894 runs. This was a new record for the team! After a couple more seasons, Johnson was let go by the Brewers in August 1998.
Coaching for the Royals
Just three months later, the Kansas City Royals hired him. He became their hitting coach too. With the Royals, Johnson had great success again. In 1998, the Royals had scored 714 runs. But in 1999, they scored a team record of 856 runs! They broke that record again in 2000 by scoring 879 runs. This is still the team's record today.
A baseball writer named Joe Posnanski wrote about a star player, Jermaine Dye. He said Dye's swing used to be "loopy." But thanks to Lamar Johnson, his swing became "compact." Even with this success, Johnson was fired after the 2002 season. The Royals' offense had slowed down that year.
Coaching for the Mariners and Mets
In 2003, Johnson became the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners played in a park where it was hard to hit home runs. But their offense was still one of the best in the American League. They won 93 games that season. However, Johnson was not kept for the 2004 season. The team's offense had struggled in the last month of 2003.
Since 2005, Lamar Johnson has worked for the New York Mets organization. First, he was a traveling hitting instructor. Then, he became the minor league hitting coordinator. He helped young hitters develop their skills. Because of his work, the Mets' minor league system produced many talented players. On April 26, 2011, the Mets had a starting lineup of all players who grew up in their system. This was the first time since 1971!
On May 26, 2014, Johnson became the new hitting coach for the main Mets team. He coached for the rest of that season. After the season, he went back to being a minor league hitting instructor.
