Joshua Rashaad Johnson (born January 11, 1986) 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 ...

former

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

and current

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 * Co ...

in the Texas Rangers organization. He was previously a coach 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

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 ...

and Texas Rangers.

Playing career

Johnson attended George S. Middleton High School in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. The

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

selected Johnson in the third round of the 2004 MLB draft. Johnson spent the 2003-2009 seasons in the Kansas City minor league system, before being released after the 2009 season. He signed with 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 ...

and spent the 2010-2015 seasons in the Washington system.

Coaching career

After the 2015 season, the Nationals hired Johnson as the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of the

Gulf Coast Nationals The Florida Complex League Nationals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Washington Nationals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The ...

, and he spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons in that role. The Padres hired Johnson as the infield coach on their major league staff for the 2018 season. Johnson was let go from his job after just one season. Johnson joined the Texas Rangers organization in 2019, as a coach for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

of the Single–A

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 ...

. He was named the manager of the

Down East Wood Ducks The Down East Wood Ducks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the owned-and-operated Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Kinston, North Carolina, and are named for the wood duck, a local colorful wa ...

of the High–A

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 ...

prior to the 2020 season, but did not due to the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He returned to Hickory as their manager for the 2021 season. Johnson spent the 2022 season as the development coach for the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

. On August 15, 2022, Johnson was named the Rangers first base coach after manager

Chris Woodward Christopher Michael Woodward (born June 27, 1976) is an American former professional baseball utility player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, ...

was fired and Corey Ragsdale was moved to third base coach. Johnson was removed from the role following the season on October 6, and was reassigned to an undetermined on–the–field minor league player development position.

Personal life

Johnson's father, Larry Johnson, played in

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Josh 1986 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players Arizona League Royals players Auburn Doubledays players Baseball coaches from Florida Baseball infielders Baseball players from Tampa, Florida Burlington Bees players Harrisburg Senators players Idaho Falls Chukars players Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers Northwest Arkansas Naturals players San Diego Padres coaches Syracuse Chiefs players Texas Rangers coaches Wilmington Blue Rocks players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people