Christopher Dalton Johnson (born October 1, 1984) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and former

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

who is the assistant hitting coach for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He played in MLB for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, and

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

Amateur career

Johnson was drafted in the 37th round by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

in the

2003 Major League Baseball Draft The 2003 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 3 and 4. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. ''Source:MLB.com 2003 Draft Tracker' First round selections Supplemental first r ...

, but he opted for college. He attended

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university in DeLand, Florida, United States. Established in 1883 as DeLand Academy, it was later renamed John B. Stetson University in honor of John B. Stetson. The university's main campus in DeLand spans 175 ...

, where he led the Hatters to the 2005 and 2006 Atlantic Sun Tournament Championships. In 2005, he was named the A-Sun Freshman of the Year, and played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Hyannis Mets The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. Johnson was drafted by the

in the fourth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.

Professional career

Houston Astros

Johnson was called up to the majors for the first time on September 7, 2009 and made his major league debut two days later. In the 2010 season, Johnson batted .308 with 105 hits, 22 doubles, 11 home runs, and 52 RBIs in just 341 at bats.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Johnson was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 29, 2012, for Bobby Borchering and Marc Krauss. In his first game as a Diamondback, Johnson hit a grand slam. He became the first Diamondback player to hit a grand slam in his first game with the club. After qualifying as a Super Two, giving him an extra year of arbitration eligibility, Johnson signed a one-year, $2.2875 million deal with the Diamondbacks for the 2013 season.

Atlanta Braves

After the 2012 season, the Diamondbacks traded Johnson and

Justin Upton Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Nicknamed "J-Up", he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Los Angel ...

to the

in exchange for Martín Prado, Randall Delgado, Nick Ahmed, Zeke Spruill and Brandon Drury. He enjoyed a breakout season, hitting .321, with 12

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

and 68 RBIs. In the NL batting race, Johnson finished second to

Michael Cuddyer Michael Brent Cuddyer (; born March 27, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets. He batted and threw right ...

. Johnson signed a three-year extension worth $23.5 million on May 2, 2014. The deal included a team option worth $10 million. He regressed in 2014, while attempting to hit for more power. Johnson set a career high in strikeouts, and his walk rate fell. After continuing to decline in 2015, Johnson lost his starting role to Juan Uribe, who the Braves acquired from the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

during the season. Johnson was pushed into a reserve role, often starting only against left handed pitchers. After

Freddie Freeman Frederick Charles Freeman (born September 12, 1989) is a Canadian and American professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Freeman made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2010 and played ...

suffered a wrist injury, Johnson occasionally started at first base, but still saw less playing time than in past seasons. Johnson expressed an interest in being traded at the trade deadline, in the hope of getting more playing time with another team. However, it was Uribe who was traded near the deadline. In addition, Freeman returned from the disabled list and Johnson was expected to regain his starting role at third base.

Cleveland Indians

On August 7, 2015, Johnson was traded to the

in exchange for

Nick Swisher Nicholas Thompson Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a switch hitter who threw left-handed, and played for the Oakland Athletics, Chica ...

, Michael Bourn, and cash considerations. Johnson appeared in 27 games with the Indians, batting .289 with four doubles, one home run, and seven RBIs. On December 22, 2015, the Indians released him.

Miami Marlins

On January 13, 2016, Johnson signed a one-year contract with the

. In 113 games for the Marlins, Johnson batted .222/.281/.329 with five home runs and 24 RBI.

Baltimore Orioles

On February 13, 2017, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, that included an invitation to major league spring training. He was released on March 27 but re-signed a couple of days later. Johnson played in 69 games split between the Triple–A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

and the Low–A

Aberdeen IronBirds The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of th ...

, hitting .292/.330/.491 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Chicago White Sox

On January 24, 2019, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. He was released by the White Sox organization on March 20.

Coaching career

Chicago White Sox

Johnson was hired as the hitting coach for the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the

, before the 2021 season. On November 29, 2022, Johnson was named assistant hitting coach for the White Sox. This would be his first coaching position in the Major League level. Johnson was named the assistant hitting coach for the

for the 2024 season.

Personal life

Johnson is the son of former MLB player and

Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Rep ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Chris 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Naples, Florida Baseball players from Lee County, Florida Major League Baseball third basemen Houston Astros players Arizona Diamondbacks players Atlanta Braves players Cleveland Indians players Miami Marlins players Florida Atlantic Owls baseball players Stetson Hatters baseball players Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Tri-City ValleyCats players Lexington Legends players Salem Avalanche players North Shore Honu players Corpus Christi Hooks players Round Rock Express players Scottsdale Scorpions players Lancaster JetHawks players Indios de Mayagüez players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Gwinnett Braves players Akron RubberDucks players Norfolk Tides players Aberdeen IronBirds players Bishop Verot High School alumni Chicago White Sox coaches Washington Nationals coaches

Amateur career

Professional career

Houston Astros

Arizona Diamondbacks

Atlanta Braves

Cleveland Indians

Miami Marlins

Baltimore Orioles

Chicago White Sox

Coaching career

Chicago White Sox

Personal life

See also

References

External links