Johnny Monell (born March 4, 1986) is an American former 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 ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

. He played in

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) for the

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

and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

KT Wiz The KT Wiz (; stylized as kt wiz) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Suwon Baseball Stadium in Suwon. History On 11 January 2013, the Korea Baseball Organ ...

High school career

Born and raised in the Pelham Park section of the

Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, Monell attended Christopher Columbus High School. Monell's father, Johnny Sr., spent 17 years in professional baseball but never made it to the major league level. Monell was originally drafted out of high school by the

but decided to attend

Seminole Community College Seminole State College of Florida is a public college based in Sanford, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System. History Established by the Florida Legislature in 1965 as Seminole Junior College, the school began operat ...

. Monell was then drafted by the

in the 49th round in 2006, but turned it down. In 2007, Monell was drafted again by the Giants, this time in the 30th round, and he finally signed.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Monell was originally drafted by the

in the 27th round of the

2005 MLB Draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...

out of Christopher Columbus High School in

. He did not sign, and instead played at

. The

then drafted him in the 49th round of the 2006 MLB Draft but he returned to college. Finally he was drafted by the Giants in the 30th round of the

2007 MLB Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

and signed. Monell was called up to the majors for the first time on September 2, 2013, by the Giants. He flew out to left center field in his debut as a pinch hitter against the

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 ...

on September 5. His first Major League hit was a single off of

Peter Moylan Peter Michael Moylan (born 2 December 1978) is an Australian former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals and in the Chinese Professional Base ...

of 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 ...

on September 14. That was his only hit in 8 at-bats for the Giants that September. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on November 27.

Baltimore Orioles

Monell was sold to 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 ...

on November 30, 2013, who then designated him for assignment again on March 24, 2014. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to 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 ...

on March 28. In 30 appearances for Norfolk, Monell slashed .209/.280/.286 with one home run, seven RBI, and one stolen base.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On May 28, 2014, Monell was traded to the

in exchange for cash, and assigned to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

. In 38 games for the Isotopes, he batted .261/.318/.426 with three home runs, 17 RBI, and three stolen bases.

New York Mets

Monell signed a minor league deal with the

on November 6, 2014. He was called up to the Mets on May 5, 2015. Monell finished the 2015 season appearing in 27 games with .167 batting average in 48 at-bats in 52 plate appearances while compiling eight hits, four walks, four RBI, and five runs scored. On December 18, Monell was designated for assignment to clear roster space for

Bartolo Colón Bartolo Colón (born May 24, 1973), nicknamed "Big Sexy", is a Dominican American professional baseball pitcher for the Karachi Monarchs of Baseball United. He previously played for 11 different Major League Baseball (MLB) teams: the Cleveland ...

. On December 23, Monell was sent outright to the Las Vegas 51s after clearing waivers.

KT Wiz

On December 9, 2016, Monell signed with the

of the

. In 28 appearances for the team, he batted .165/.305/.282 with two home runs, nine RBI, and two stolen bases. On May 18, 2017, Monell was released by the Wiz.

New York Mets (second stint)

On January 26, 2018, Monell signed a minor league contract with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

organization. He was released by Tampa Bay prior to the start of the season on March 28. On April 13, 2018, it was announced that Monell had signed a minor league contract with the

organization following injuries to two Mets catchers. In 61 appearances for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, he slashed .263/.330/.407 with three home runs and 34 RBI. Monell retired from professional baseball on August 4, for unspecified reasons.

Coaching career

Monell is currently the owner and primary coach of 220 Second to None, a training and coaching facility in

Absecon, New Jersey Absecon (, ) is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,137, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 726 (+8.6%) from the 2010 census count of ...

, as of May 2, 2025.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Monell, Johnny 1986 births Living people Baseball players from the Bronx Major League Baseball catchers San Francisco Giants players New York Mets players Seminole State Raiders baseball players Arizona League Giants players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players Augusta GreenJackets players San Jose Giants players Fresno Grizzlies players Richmond Flying Squirrels players Norfolk Tides players Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen Gigantes de Carolina (baseball) players Criollos de Caguas players Las Vegas 51s players KT Wiz players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente catchers Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente infielders