Elliot Johnson | |||
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![]() Johnson with the Kansas City Royals
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Free agent | |||
Utility player | |||
Born: Safford, Arizona |
March 9, 1984 |||
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MLB debut | |||
April 5, 2008, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |||
MLB statistics (through 2014 season) |
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Batting average | .215 | ||
Home runs | 12 | ||
Runs batted in | 69 | ||
Teams | |||
Elliot Tyler Johnson (born March 9, 1984) is an American professional baseball utility player who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians.
Johnson signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a non-drafted free agent on June 29, 2002 out of Thatcher High School in Thatcher, Arizona and began his professional career with the Princeton Devil Rays rookie level team in Princeton, West Virginia. In 2005, he played for the Visalia Oaks of Visalia, California (A class A minor-league affiliate of the Devil Rays). In the same season, Johnson got promoted to class AA with the Montgomery Biscuits, then in 2006 moved to the Durham Bulls to play with the class AAA minor league affiliate.
Johnson made the Tampa Bay Rays opening day roster for the 2008 season. On April 5, 2008, he made his debut against the New York Yankees as the team's designated hitter. He had four at bats and recorded his first major league hit, a single off of Andy Pettitte. He had three hits in 19 at-bats over seven games for the Devil Rays that season before he was sent back down to Durham. He spent the next two seasons in the minors, missing 2 months in 2009 with a fractured thumb. In 2010, he hit .319 for Durham and was selected to appear in the Triple-A All-Star game. He was also named the Bulls most valuable player.