Howard Johnson (baseball player)

Howard Johnson
Johnson with the New York Mets
Third baseman
Born: (1960-11-29) November 29, 1960 (age 56) Clearwater, Florida
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 14, 1982, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 1995, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Batting average	.249
Home runs	228
Runs batted in	760
Teams
Detroit Tigers (1982–1984) New York Mets (1985–1993) Colorado Rockies (1994) Chicago Cubs (1995)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (1989, 1991) 2× World Series champion (1984, 1986) 2× Silver Slugger Award (1989, 1991) NL home run leader (1991) NL RBI leader (1991)

Howard Michael Johnson (born November 29, 1960), nicknamed HoJo, is a former Major League Baseball switch hitting third baseman. He is best known for his career in Major League Baseball, where he played for the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs from 1982 to 1995. He is third on the Mets' all-time lists for home runs, runs batted in, doubles, and stolen bases. He also played for the Rockland Boulders of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball. On July 13, 2007, he was promoted from his position as the Mets' first base coach to their hitting coach which he held until the end of the 2010 season. From 2014 to June 2015, he was the hitting coach of the Seattle Mariners after starting 2013 as the batting instructor for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate.

Johnson was born in Clearwater, Florida, and attended Clearwater High School playing baseball as a pitcher. He attended St. Petersburg Junior College and, at age 17, was drafted in the 23rd round of the 1978 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees. Johnson did not sign with the Yankees and, the following January, he was drafted in the 1st round — 12th overall — by the Tigers.