Daniel Johnson Jr. (born July 11, 1995) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

in the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

organization. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

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) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Amateur career

Johnson was born and raised in

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to the ...

, and attended

Jesse M. Bethel High School Jesse M. Bethel High School is a high school located in Vallejo, California. It is part of the Vallejo City Unified School District Vallejo City Unified School District is a medium-sized K-12 school district in the U.S. state of California, s ...

. In 2013, his senior year, he hit .515. Undrafted in the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

, he enrolled at

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) is a public community college in Miami, Oklahoma. Established as the Miami School of Mines in 1919, NEO has an enrollment of approximately two thousand students. The Golden Norsemen is the school mascot. ...

. In 2014, his freshman year, he hit .274 with two home runs and 16 RBIs over 39 games. After the season, he transferred to

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

where he played baseball for the Aggies. In 2015, his sophomore season, he batted .305 with two home runs and 16 RBIs. As a junior in 2016, he slashed .382/.434/.630 with 12 home runs, fifty RBIs, and 29 stolen bases over 57 games, and was named the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

Player of the Year.

Professional career

Washington Nationals

Johnson was drafted by the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

in the fifth round of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be d ...

. In his first professional season in 2016, Johnson hit .265 with a home run and 14 RBIs over 62 games for the

Auburn Doubledays The Auburn Doubledays are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) that is located in Auburn, New York. From 1958 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) ...

. The Nationals reportedly believed in Johnson's potential not just to stick in center field at higher professional levels, but to produce double-digit home runs as he developed. Johnson was assigned to the

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home g ...

for the 2017 season. Almost right away, Johnson demonstrated significantly greater power and hitting ability with the Suns, hitting ten home runs by the end of May and posting a batting average above .300. Johnson's prowess earned him a spot on the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

's Northern Division All-Star team, alongside teammate

Carter Kieboom Carter Alswinn Kieboom ( ; born September 3, 1997) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Amateur career Kieboom attended George Walton Comprehensive High School in Mariett ...

. On July 24, 2017, he was promoted to the Advanced-A

Potomac Nationals The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were located in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to Fr ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. A midseason ranking of prospects by '' MLB Pipeline'' that month placed Johnson as the Nationals' tenth-best prospect. Johnson finished the 2017 season with a .298 batting average, 22 home runs, 72 RBIs. and 22 stolen bases across both levels, appearing in 130 total games. He was named the Nationals' Minor League Player of the Year for 2017. In 2018, Johnson battled injuries, but still managed to appear in 89 games for the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

, slashing .267/.321/.410 with six home runs and 31 RBIs.

Cleveland Indians / Guardians

On November 30, 2018, Johnson was traded to the

, along with Jefry Rodríguez and a player to be named later (who was later announced as Andruw Monasterio), for

Yan Gomes Yan Gomes (; ; born July 19, 1987) is a Brazilian-American professional baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals and Oakland Ath ...

. He began 2019 with the

Akron RubberDucks The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...

and was promoted to the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

on May 25, 2019. That July, he played in the 2019

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. Over 123 games between Akron and Columbus, he batted .290 with 19 home runs and 77 RBIs. Johnson was added to the Indians' 40–man roster following the 2019 season. He made the Indians' Opening Day roster for the 2020 season. Johnson made his major league debut on July 25, going hitless in three at-bats. He batted .083 with no home runs or RBI over 12 at-bats in 2020. On July 18, 2021, Johnson hit his first career home run, a solo shot off of

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

starter

Chris Bassitt Christopher M. Bassitt (born February 22, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2014 and played for the Oakland Athletics ...

. Johnson was designated for assignment by the newly-named Cleveland Guardians on November 19, 2021. After clearing waivers, he was outrighted to the Triple-A

on November 24, 2021. He began the 2022 season with Triple-A Columbus. In 17 games, he hit .217/.217/.377 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI.

New York Mets

On May 25, 2022, Johnson was traded to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

in exchange for cash considerations. Johnson played in 14 games for the Triple-A

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which open ...

, limping to a .136/.167/.227 line with one home run and 6 RBI. He was released on July 24.

Washington Nationals (second stint)

On July 29, 2022, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Johnson played in 26 games for the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

, hitting just .189/.275/.256 with one home run and 8 RBI. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

San Diego Padres

On February 23, 2023, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the

organization.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Daniel 1995 births Living people Sportspeople from Vallejo, California Baseball players from California Major League Baseball outfielders Cleveland Indians players New Mexico State Aggies baseball players Auburn Doubledays players Hagerstown Suns players Potomac Nationals players Mesa Solar Sox players Gulf Coast Nationals players Harrisburg Senators players Salt River Rafters players Akron RubberDucks players Columbus Clippers players Leones del Escogido players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic African-American baseball players Syracuse Mets players Florida Complex League Nationals players St. Lucie Mets players