Roy Johnson--1983
Today, I write with a sense of
sadness, as I recently learned that
Roy Johnson had passed away
early in 2009. The news met with
little publicity, as does most deaths
of former major leaguers who hit
under-.200 who pass away while in
Mexico.
Johnson was a member of the 1983
Wichita Aeros ballclub that was also
my first foray in working in baseball.
We were both 23 at the time.
Johnson played the outfield, while I
had the grand title of Director of
Operations for the Aeros.
At 6’4”, Johnson was a gentle giant
of a guy. He wasn’t very smart,
despite playing in college at
Tennessee State University.
Though, he was a pretty good guy
to be around.
Johnson was a fifth round pick of
the Expos in 1980, quickly reaching
the bigs in 1982. Known for his
sweet swing from the left side; after
leading the Triple-A American
Association in 1982 with a
.367 mark, Johnson would hit just
.290 in ’83. However, what I
remember most from Johnson was
a game-saving catch after a long,
long run to the left-centerfield gap
that brought the Aeros a win early
in the 1983 season.
Also, there was the story of when
Johnson was in the minors he tried
to get a drivers license and was told
he needed to come back with a
picture ID. Johnson returned with
one of his baseball cards as proof
of identification.
He was turned away.
Editor’s Note: Unable to crack an
outfield that housed Warren
Cromartie, Tim Raines and future
Hall of Famer Andre Dawson;
Johnson was limited to 36 games
with the Expos from 1982-85, hitting
only .171 in part-time duty. He
would have an extended career in
Mexico as a player and coach. At
49, you were much too young Roy
to leave us.
(1/19/10)
sadness, as I recently learned that
Roy Johnson had passed away
early in 2009. The news met with
little publicity, as does most deaths
of former major leaguers who hit
under-.200 who pass away while in
Mexico.
Johnson was a member of the 1983
Wichita Aeros ballclub that was also
my first foray in working in baseball.
We were both 23 at the time.
Johnson played the outfield, while I
had the grand title of Director of
Operations for the Aeros.
At 6’4”, Johnson was a gentle giant
of a guy. He wasn’t very smart,
despite playing in college at
Tennessee State University.
Though, he was a pretty good guy
to be around.
Johnson was a fifth round pick of
the Expos in 1980, quickly reaching
the bigs in 1982. Known for his
sweet swing from the left side; after
leading the Triple-A American
Association in 1982 with a
.367 mark, Johnson would hit just
.290 in ’83. However, what I
remember most from Johnson was
a game-saving catch after a long,
long run to the left-centerfield gap
that brought the Aeros a win early
in the 1983 season.
Also, there was the story of when
Johnson was in the minors he tried
to get a drivers license and was told
he needed to come back with a
picture ID. Johnson returned with
one of his baseball cards as proof
of identification.
He was turned away.
Editor’s Note: Unable to crack an
outfield that housed Warren
Cromartie, Tim Raines and future
Hall of Famer Andre Dawson;
Johnson was limited to 36 games
with the Expos from 1982-85, hitting
only .171 in part-time duty. He
would have an extended career in
Mexico as a player and coach. At
49, you were much too young Roy
to leave us.
(1/19/10)
