Chris Johnson

Note: This page is for 2010s infielder Chris Johnson; for others with the same name, click here.

Christopher Dalton Johnson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• School Stetson University
• High School Bishop Verot High School
• Debut September 9, 2009
• Final Game October 2, 2016
• Born October 1, 1984 in Naples, FL, USA

BR page

Biographical Information

3B Chris Johnson was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 4th round of the 2006 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Jon Bunnell and made his pro debut that summer. He made his debut with the Astros late in the 2009 season, going 2 for 22 in 11 games, and then became their starting third baseman in 2010. As a rookie, he hit .308 with 22 doubles and 11 homers in 94 games. In 2011, he played 107 games, hitting .251/.291/.378, with 21 doubles and 7 homers in what was a generally disappointing season.

On July 29, 2012, the Astros traded Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks in return for two prospects, OFs Marc Krauss and Bobby Borchering (who had gone to the same high school as Johnson). Johnson was hitting .279 with 21 doubles, 8 homers and 41 RBIs in 92 games with the Astros. It was the third trade of a veteran for prospects by the Astros in one week, while the D-Backs were looking to upgrade at 3B after having traded first-half starter Ryan Roberts a few days earlier. Chris wasted no time making his presence felt: in his first game as D-Back on July 30th, he hit a grand slam off Aaron Harang of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 7-2 win. He then upped the ante a week later on August 7th, hitting a pair of homers in leading the D-Backs to a 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit .286 in 44 games for Arizona, for a combined batting line of .281/.326/.451 in 136 games, with 28 doubles, 15 homers and 76 RBI.

On January 24, 2013, Johnson was traded to the Atlanta Braves along with OF Justin Upton in return for IF/OF Martin Prado, Ps Randall Delgado and Zeke Spruill, and IFs Nick Ahmed and Brandon Drury. Upton was the biggest name in the deal but Johnson turned out to be a prize catch too. He played 142 games as the Braves' regular third baseman and hit .321 with 34 doubles and 12 homers as the team's most consistent offensive performer; he scored 54 runs and drove in 68 with an OPS+ of 121. He was second in the National League in batting average, behind Michael Cuddyer. He continued to hit well in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 7 for 17 with 5 RBI, but the Braves were eliminated in four games. Early in 2014, the Braves showed his confidence in Johnson, signing him for three years for $23.5 million. However, he fell back to earth that season, hitting .263 with 27 doubles, 10 homers and 58 RBIs in 153 games as the Braves' starting third baseman. His ability to stay in the line-up was a positive, but an OPS+ of 83 did not help as the Braves fell short of a postseason slot. In 2015, his production fell some more, to .235 in 56 games with 2 homers and 11 RBIs. After going on the disabled list at the end of April, he lost his starting job at 3B to Juan Uribe, who was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He got to start again when Uribe was traded again in late July, but on August 7th, it was his turn to move, heading to the Cleveland Indians in return for Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. He hit .289 in 27 games for Cleveland to finish the season at .255 with 3 homers and 18 RBIs in 56 games.

Chris then signed with the Miami Marlins as a free agent before the 2016 season and began the season as a back-up infielder with the club, hitting .241 in 44 games. On June 8th, he was traded to the New York Mets in return for pitcher Akeel Morris; the Mets had placed 3B David Wright on the disabled list a few days earlier and were looking for help at the position.

Johnson spent the 2017 season in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system and played his final games there. He attempted a comeback in 2019 with the Chicago White Sox but was released during spring training.

Johnson became a hitting coach with the Charlotte Knights in 2021-2022. In 2023, he was named assistant hitting coach of the Chicago White Sox.

Johnson is the son of Ron Johnson.

Related Sites

• Chris Johnson on mlb.com