Johnson begins his first season with the Ducks after being acquired from the Bridgeport Bluefish in June. He comes to Long Island with 10 seasons of Major League experience, spending time with six different teams (Athletics, Rays, White Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays and Cardinals). In 443 games, he compiled a .234 batting average with 57 home runs, 203 RBI, 179 runs and 61 doubles. His best season came in 2007 with Oakland when he launched 18 home runs and totaled 62 RBI and 20 doubles in 117 games. The Minnesota native is best known for his two-out, game-tying home run in the ninth inning of the Rays’ final game in 2011, which helped them to an extra inning win and the American League Wild Card.
The 36-year-old played in 43 games with the Bluefish, collecting five home runs, 27 RBI, 21 runs and five doubles before coming to Long Island. He also spent time as a pitcher, making five appearances (four starts). The knuckleballer has previously earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League (2004, Sacramento) and International League (2010, Durham). He has also been selected three times as an MiLB.com Organization All-Star (2010, 2011, 2014), three times as a Mid-Season All-Star (2010, 2012, 2014) and four times as a Post-Season All-Star (2003, 2004, 2010, 2012). Johnson was originally drafted by the Athletics in the seventh round of the 2001 amateur draft.
