The Cleveland Indians announced that they signed first baseman Nick Johnson to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. If Johnson makes the team, he has a club option for 2012.
Johnson appeared in only 24 games last year for the New York Yankees. Johnson batted .167 (12-72) with a .388 OBP, four doubles, two homers and eight RBI.
Johnson sustained a right wrist injury last year which kept him out for the majority of the season. He has spent time on the disabled list eight separate times in his nine year career. Johnson will continue to rehab his wrist and will not be ready for opening day.
When I hear the name "Nick Johnson", I think of one thing and that's On-Base Percentage. Johnson has a career .401 OBP which places him number nine among active players. That list includes names such as; Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer and Jim Thome.
In 2009, Johnson had a relatively healthy season for the Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals. He batted a combined .291 (133-457) with a .426 OBP, 24 doubles, eight homers and 62 RBI in 133 games.
In my opinion, this is a smart acquisition made by GM Chris Antonetti and the Indians staff. This is a classic Indians "low risk-high reward" move. Nick Johnson will provide depth at first base and DH if he can recover from the injury. Travis Hafner's injuries have been well chronicled and Matt LaPorta's future as an everyday first baseman is unknown at this point.
A few years ago, Team President Mark Shapiro stated that he wanted the Indians organization to be run similar to the New England Patriots organization. Former Patriots GM Scott Pioli and Shapiro are good friends. Shapiro used to say, "One through 25," meaning that each player on the roster would play a significant role in the team's success.
The Indians seem to be going back to the "one through 25" motto with the free agent signings of Orlando Cabrera, Austin Kearns, Chad Durbin and now Nick Johnson.
Most experts have the Indians finishing fourth or fifth in the AL Central. I believe the Indians might be the hardest team to make predictions about at this point.
Several players (Carlos Santana, Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis Hafner, Shin-Soo Choo, Fausto Carmona, Rafael Perez and Chris Perez) have all-star potential and Antonetti filled in the gaps with quality veterans and promising young players. The Indians success will largely depend on the team's health and the young pitching staff.
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