Image courtesy Gavin from Baseball Card Breakdown- used with permission.
Charles Johnson famously did not sign with Topps to appear on their cards, in solidarity with other 1991 Team USA players like Jason Varitek. Even so, Charles Johnson was still the obvious choice to be the 1995 Topps All-Star Rookie Catcher. He was just the 4th rookie to win a Gold Glove as a catcher, along with all-time greats like Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk, and phenom Sandy Alomar, Jr. Those three were also Topps All-Star Rookies, just sayin'.
Image courtesy Gavin from Baseball Card Breakdown- used with permission.
The fact that he didn't sign meant that he wasn't in the 1996 Topps Set, but that didn't stop me from tracking down a custom "card that never was." It was no surprise to me that Gavin had put one together, and he graciously allowed me to share it in this blog post. If you're a regular reader of my blog, but haven't read Gavin's, (first of all, really?) you're gonna love it.
Charles Johnson was drafted in the first round in 1989 by the Montréal Expos, but opted to attend the University of Miami instead. after appearing with Team USA and playing for the Hurricanes, the Florida Marlins made him their 1st Round selection in 1992. Johnson spent 1993 with the Kane County Cougars. He hit .275 with 19 homers and 94 RBI. He would also hit well in 1994 with the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs, blasting 28 homers for the AA squad. The hitting was a bonus, he was drafted for his defense and ability to call a game behind the plate, so any hitting would be icing on the cake.
His first Marlins tenure included stellar defense, and hitting when it meant the most. He would win a Gold Glove in each of his first four major league campaigns, the longest streak to start a career at catcher, again, since Johnny Bench, who won a whopping 10 consecutive Gold Gloves. Johnson would also come through big in the 1997 World Series, leading the Marlins with 10 hits while hitting for a .357 average over the 7 game series. His defense during the regular season was superlative - he caught 123 games in 1997 and had zero errors.
Johnson was part of the 1997 championship and the 1998 Marlins fire sale as well. The Marlins sent Johnson and Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, and Gary Sheffield to the Dodgers in a deal for Mike Piazza. Mike would be flipped soon after to the Mets as well. Johnson finished the 1998 season in LA, winning his fourth Gold Glove, the first Dodger Catcher to win one since 1966. He hit just .217 down the stretch for the Dodgers, but he did have 12 homers.
After the 1998 season, Johnson was traded twice, where he briefly became Mike Piazza's teammate in New York, then moved on to Baltimore in exchange for Armando Benitez. In Baltimore, Johnson caught 135 games his first season, finishing in the top 5 in putouts, caught stealing, assists, and first in double plays turned by a catcher. Now in the AL, Johnson's Gold Glove streak came to an end with Ivan Rodriguez as a competitor. He would add major offense in 2000, hitting a career high 31 homers, 94 RBI and a .304 average.
Most of that offense came following a July trade to the Chicago White Sox. during his time on Southside, Johnson had a OPS+ of 135 and slugged .607. The Sox were in the playoff hunt, and despite losing in the first round to Seattle, Johnson did his part, hitting .333 and reaching base at a .455 clip over the 3 games. Johnson would have his first taste of free agency following the 2000 season.
So of course, Johnson came home from the Southside to South Beach. In his second tour with the Marlins, Johnson made his second All-Star appearance, and caught his 3rd No-hitter. He's caught half of the Marlins' 6 no-hitters all-time. Johnson's streak of catching 100+ games would come to an end in 2001, when he would play in just 83 games for the Marlins in a down year. He would be traded to the Rockies (with Preston Wilson, one of the players that came to Florida from the Mets in the Piazza trade) following the 2002 season. Johnson would just miss the second Marlins' title, but also their 2nd fire sale.
Johnson would have a pair of decent seasons for the Rockies, though he didn't appear to have quite the "Coors-effect" bump that some other Colorado transplants would have. He hit 33 homers over the two seasons, and he would finish out his MLB career with a brief return to Florida, this time for the Tampa Bay Rays. He remains a mainstay in Miami, both as a University of Miami Alum, and as a Florida/Miami Marlin original. He's been on the record as a supporter of the team even through the tough re-building period that began with the Derek Jeter ownership.
For his career, he ranked 2nd only to Ivan Rodriguez in throwing out potential base stealers. Only Jason Varitek and Carlos Ruiz have caught more no-hitters in their careers.
Let's hear your Charles Johnson stories!
