Reed Johnson

Reed Cameron Johnson (born December 8, 1976 in Riverside, California) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs.

College Career

Johnson grew up in Temecula, a suburb of Riverside, CA and attended Temecula Valley High School, where he participated in baseball and soccer. He was an All-League and an All-County selection.

Johnson attended college at Cal State Fullerton and was named an Academic All-American. He also set records by being the first Cal State Fullerton player to score 100 runs and collect 100 hits in a season.


Professional Career

Before playing with the Toronto Blue Jays, Johnson played for the Syracuse SkyChiefs, the club's AAA affiliate. Johnson made his Major League debut on April 17, 2003. He finished his rookie season, with a .294 batting average, ten home runs, and fifty-two runs batted in. Johnson also won the American League Rookie of the Month Award for the month of September.

Johnson extended his tenure with the Blue Jays on December 7, 2005, after signing a one-year extension worth $1,425,000 dollars.

At the start the 2006 season, Johnson was platooned with Frank Catalanotto in left field, as they had been for the previous two seasons. In a Toronto Star article, Johnson was quoted as saying, "I train so that I can play every day. I don't train to be a fourth outfielder, or there would be a lot less training. I wouldn't be waking up as early. I wouldn't be trying to be in the shape that I'm in. I know my body can take the pounding of an everyday season".

After posting a .319 batting average in the 2006 season, and a .390 on-base percentage, Johnson was named the starting left fielder in July, leaving Catalanotto as the odd man out. Catalanotto also rivaled Johnson's production, but Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi stated that Reed "did everything we asked of him this year", and felt that he needed to be rewarded for his hard work.

The Blue Jays and Johnson agreed to a one-year $3.075 million contract, avoiding salary arbitration on February 2, 2007.

Early in the Blue Jays 2007 season, Johnson injured his back and had a herniated disc which required surgery. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list and later, he was placed on the 60-day disabled list. On July 7, 2007, he was activated from the 60-day DL and rejoined the Toronto Blue Jays.

On January 2, 2008, the Blue Jays signed Johnson to a one-year contract worth $3.275 million. Johnson's exact role on the Blue Jays had yet to be determined. The presence of veteran Matt Stairs, who was kept on despite his age due to his solid performance in 2007, probably had Johnson relegated to a platoon situation similar to the Catalanotto/Johnson platoon of a few seasons ago. Also, the signing of all-star shortstop David Eckstein removed Johnson from his familiar role as leadoff hitter. Eckstein's signing caused a stir among Blue Jays fans, primarily due to the popularity of the two players he displaced from their regular roles: Johnson, and shortstop John McDonald. The Blue Jays also signed outfielder Shannon Stewart to a minor league contract, adding some depth to the position in response to the injuries of last season. Stewart, who played in 855 games for Toronto from 1995 to 2003, was a dependable and consistent force at the top of the Blue Jays lineup for many years, although he is considered a liability in the field at times because of an injury suffered playing football which greatly reduced his throwing strength. His presence at spring training made Johnson's role all the more uncertain. Johnson was released by the Jays on March 23, and replaced by Stewart. Johnson's popularity with Blue Jays fans was shown on June 13, 2008 when he pinch-hit in the top of the 9th inning, and was giving a standing ovation by the fans at the Rogers Centre.

During a game early in the 2009 season, gainst the Brewers, Johnson showed versatility on the field by catching a Prince Fielder drive that had cleared the wall, preventing the Brewers from tying the game on a grand slam. He was placed on the 15-day DL on July 30 that same year with a left foot fracture.

Growing up, Johnson participated in gymnastics. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.