Steven David Johnson (born August 31, 1987) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He made his

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) debut with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles 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 American League's eight charter ...

in 2012 and also played in MLB for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

Early life

Steve Johnson was born to Dave and Tera Johnson. His father, Dave Johnson, pitched in MLB for five seasons, including three for Baltimore, and is now a broadcaster on

MASN The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) is an American regional sports network owned as a joint venture between two Major League Baseball franchises, the Baltimore Orioles (which owns a controlling 77% interest) and the Washington Nationals (which ...

, which airs Orioles and Nationals games. Johnson graduated from St. Paul's School in 2005 where he played baseball.

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Johnson was drafted by 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 (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in the 13th round of the

2005 MLB Draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur 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 bes ...

out of St. Paul's School for Boys in Brooklandville, Maryland. He pitched for the

GCL Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compos ...

in 2005, going 0–2 with a 9.53 ERA in six games (three starts). He split 2006 between the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitcher ...

(14 starts) and

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

(two relief appearances), going a combined 5–5 with a 3.67 ERA. In 2007, he went 3–6 with a 4.85 ERA in 18 games (16 starts) for the

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. Histor ...

. Johnson split 2008 between the Loons (13 starts) and

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchis ...

(11 starts), going a combined 12–8 with a 4.32 ERA. He started the 2009 season in the Dodgers' organization, pitching for the 66ers (18 games, 16 starts) and

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

(two starts).

Baltimore Orioles

On July 30, he was traded with minor leaguer Josh Bell to the

for

George Sherrill George Friederich Sherrill (born April 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Sherrill pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves from ...

. He finished the season with the Bowie Baysox. Overall, he went a combined 12–7 with a 3.41 ERA in 27 games (25 starts). The

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

selected him in the 2009 Rule 5 Draft, but he was returned to the Orioles on March 16, 2010. Johnson had his contract purchased by the Orioles on June 3, 2012, but was immediately optioned to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

. He was called up to the major leagues for the first time on July 1, 2012, in Seattle, but did not play in the two games before he was optioned down again. He finally made his major league debut on July 15, 2012 against the Detroit Tigers in Baltimore. On August 8, 2012, he started and won his first game against the

, 23 years to the day after his father pitched his first victory for the Orioles. On April 24, 2013, Johnson was sent to the Norfolk Tides on a rehab assignment. He was brought up to the Orioles on May 11 to start against the Minnesota Twins, and optioned back to Norfolk the next day. He was recalled on May 25 when Pedro Strop was placed on the disabled list. Johnson was outrighted off the Orioles roster on October 24, 2014. He was added back to the Orioles roster on September 1, 2015.

Texas Rangers

On January 29, 2016, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, with an invitation to Spring Training. He was released on March 14.

Seattle Mariners

Johnson signed with the

prior to the 2016 season.

Second Stint with Orioles

On March 4, 2017, Johnson signed a minor league deal with the

Chicago White Sox

On August 9, 2017, the Orioles traded Johnson to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

for cash considerations. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Lancaster Barnstormers

On April 2, 2018, Johnson signed with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He announced his retirement as an active player via social media on December 22, 2018.Steve Johnson's official retirement announcement via Instagram.
Retrieved December 22, 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Steve 1987 births Living people Baseball players from Baltimore Major League Baseball pitchers Baltimore Orioles players Seattle Mariners players Gulf Coast Dodgers players Ogden Raptors players Jacksonville Suns players Great Lakes Loons players West Oahu Canefires players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Chattanooga Lookouts players Bowie Baysox players Norfolk Tides players Mesa Solar Sox players Gulf Coast Orioles players Aberdeen IronBirds players Tacoma Rainiers players Charlotte Knights players Lancaster Barnstormers players