Howard Johnson (baseball)

Howard Michael Johnson (born November 29, 1960), nicknamed "HoJo", is an American former professional baseball third baseman, shortstop and outfielder. He played for the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1982 to 1995. He has also coached in MLB for the Mets and Seattle Mariners.

Johnson made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 1982 and was a part of the 1984 World Series champions. The Tigers traded Johnson to the Mets after the season and he won a second World Series title in 1986. Johnson was a two-time All-Star with the Mets, in 1989 and 1991, and led the National League in home runs and runs batted in in 1991. After playing for the Mets through the 1993 season, Johnson finished his career with the Rockies in 1994 and the Cubs in 1995.

Johnson is third on the Mets' all-time lists for home runs, runs batted in, doubles, and stolen bases. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.

Johnson was born on November 29, 1960, in Clearwater, Florida, to Bill and Sue Johnson. He was the oldest of three children. He was named for his grandfather, Raymond Howard Johnson. His family went to Howard Johnson's every Sunday after church, where he was never charged for lunch.

Bill coached Howard in Little League Baseball and taught him to become a switch hitter when he was three or four years old.

Johnson attended Clearwater High School and played on their baseball team. He had a .375 batting average in his junior year, but it declined to .275 in his senior year. As a pitcher, Johnson had a 0.91 earned run average and 110 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched in his senior year. The New York Yankees selected Johnson in the 23rd round of the 1978 MLB draft, but they did not offer him a signing bonus and he instead attended St. Petersburg Junior College and played college baseball as a pitcher and a position player.

The Detroit Tigers selected Johnson in the first round, with the 12th overall selection, of MLB's secondary draft in January 1979. He signed with the Tigers, who converted him into an infielder. He played for the Lakeland Tigers of the Class A Florida State League in 1979 and 1980. The Tigers promoted him to the Birmingham Barons of the Class AA Southern League, where he hit 22 home runs.

Johnson began the 1982 season with the Evansville Triplets of the Class AAA American Association. He was promoted to the major leagues. Johnson finished the season with a .316 batting average in the major leagues. He began the 1983 season in the major leagues with the Tigers, but was demoted to Evansville in May. He returned to the Tigers later in the year.