Toronto Blue Jays News

02/27/2004 5:29 PM ET
Hard work pays off for Johnson
Right fielder at top of his game in Blue Jays' lineup
By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Reed Johnson earns his bases. Every one of them.

Whether he gets hit by a pitch or bunts his way on, nothing ever comes easy for Toronto's right fielder. And so, when Toronto manager Carlos Tosca describes the ideal characteristics for a leadoff hitter, it sounds like he's reading a point-by-point appraisal of Johnson's strengths.

"Intensity slash intelligence. You can fall off that balance beam both ways. He should have the posture, the at-bat and everything else that's going to set the tone for our lineup," Tosca said. "Reed just shows up to play baseball. I'm certain he's happy in the leadoff slot, but he's just trying to win baseball games."

As a rookie, Johnson stepped into the lineup and rarely relented, earning more and more playing time as the season progressed. He finished with 10 homers and a .294 batting average, but walked just 20 times in 114 games. Here's a way to put that last number into perspective: Johnson got hit by 20 pitches, the second-highest total in the AL.

The Jays want him to walk more this year, which should lead to a higher on-base percentage and more runs. As far as Johnson is concerned, though, the walks will come when pitchers respect him more. With sluggers like Vernon Wells and Carlos Delgado coming up after him, Johnson gets plenty of pitches to hit.

"They're not going to put me on for free. I'm definitely going to have to hit my way on a lot," he said. "Toward the end of the year last year, I started to walk a little more and become more patient. I think that's because I was swinging the bat a lot better. If you look at a guy and he's 0-for-22, you're just going to throw the ball down the middle, try to get him out."

Tosca agrees with that sentiment, saying that Johnson doesn't need to do anything differently. Considering his age and experience level, Tosca said that Johnson has an above-average feel for the game. He understands the organization's mindset, which stresses approach over end results.

"It's not, 'I'm going up there to look for a walk. I'm going up there with an approach to get a pitch I can hit. The by-product is a base on balls," Tosca said. "If I swing at the pitches I'm capable of hitting, it does a couple things. It increases the number of pitches that pitcher is going to throw to me, and I pass the baton. Now, we've got the bases loaded and Carlos Delgado up there.

"It's not a passive approach. The difficult part of maintaining the approach is that emotions get in the way, and (you) want to be the hero. That's where discipline comes in."

Discipline also explains why Johnson gets hit by so many pitches. He refuses to bail out of the box, unless the ball is coming directly at his head. He said he's been that way for as long as he can remember, dating back to his days at Cal-State Fullerton.

"In college, a lot of guys come up and in. A lot of guys get out of the way, and you see their teammates giving them a hard time," Johnson said. "'You've got to stay in there', this and that. I'm trying to stay in there as long as I can, look that pitch in. Sometimes I read incorrectly, and that's when I try to get hit in the back instead of the elbow or wrist."

Sometimes, that strategy comes back to bite him. Johnson got hit in the hand in 2002, part of a bizarre series of injuries that ruined his season and put his career on hold. When he compares the past two seasons, he sees a stark contrast between the two.

"Just complete opposite ends of the spectrum. That season was horrible for me. Every possible thing that could go wrong, did," he said. "One thing after another. I was like, 'Is anything going to go right this year?' Then, the year after that, things just fell into place for me. I was getting opportunities and producing in those opportunities."

Perhaps no other opportunity stands out more than Father's Day, when Johnson started and ended a game the same way. He led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, then hit a walk-off shot to give Toronto an extra-inning win. That day, he said he finally felt like a Major Leaguer. Eight months later, the sentiment remains the same.

"When you guys talk about that, I get the chills. Even now, just thinking about it," he said. "Being able to make an impact for your team like that, there's no better feeling."

When Tosca is asked about Johnson, he often jokes around, saying things like: "It's nice to have a guy on your club you can look eye-to-eye."

There's a kinship there -- neither man is tall in stature, but both work hard and wring every last drop out of their talent. In fact, one of Johnson's signature plays is the scrappiest way to get on base: He's extremely adept at dropping down bunts and beating them out, which gives corner infielders something extra to think about.

At first glance, that play seems to be at odds with Toronto's philosophy, which eschews bunts at all costs. The Jays finished last in the Major Leagues in sacrifice bunts, and the next closest team had twice as many as Toronto. But Johnson often bunts for a hit -- he's not trying to give up an out, and Tosca said there's plenty of room for that in his team's offense.

"They all have the green light to bunt. Were not opposed to the bunt -- we're opposed to sacrifice bunting, until the situation absolutely calls for it," he said. "All of our guys, if they see an opportunity to bunt for a base hit, can do that any time they want. Now, I'd obviously discourage it with Delgado and Wells."

Not so with Johnson. He's encouraged to get on base any way he can -- no matter how hard he has to work for it.

Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.