Nick Johnson 2010 Projection
Nick Johnson! Maybe the slowest baseball player in history who I would be completely okay with putting in the leadoff spot. The guy walks as much as Rickey Henderson. In the last few years he has VERY quietly put up some of the best on base percentage numbers in the league. From 2006 to 2009 he had an on base percentage of .420! A guy who gets on base that often is extremely valuable. And don’t think that walks are luck, or a product of having no other threats in the lineup. Teammate Nick Swisher has the same knack for getting free passes to run the bases. Many people are speculating that Johnson will hit in the 2-hole for the Yankees. While he may be a tad slow (to put it nicely), the bombs that Teixeira and Rodriguez will be dropping while hitting right behind him in the order will let Johnson crawl home most of the time. It’s most important that Johnson just gets on base. He’s also a very good hitter, as shown by his .285 batting average over that 3 season span mentioned earlier. So if he really does have to swing the stick, he will. However, he knows his role, and he will be doing everything in his power to get a free 90 foot walk.
Plate Appearances: 686
At Bats: 582
Hits: 159
Walks + HBP: 104
Doubles: 25
Triples: 0
Home Runs: 18
Runs Batted In: 82
Runs Scored: 73
Stolen Bases: 2
Batting Average: .273
On Base Percentage: .383
Slugging Percentage: .408
On Base + Slugging: .792
As I briefly stated above, I feel that Johnson knows his role consists of three important words – GET. ON. BASE. – As a designated hitter, he will have all the time in the world to focus on where the strike zone is and should be, and he shall accumulate many walks.
On Monday we’ll be doing a player who is very similar to Johnson in a matter of statistics. Off the field, I am positive that there is no individual who is like him… ladies and gentlemen, Nick Swisher will be the subject of our focus on Monday.
Any opinions? Share them in the comments section!
Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com
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I have a good feeling about Nick Johnson this year as well.
BUT…if he’s batting 2nd in that Yankees lineup, which it looks like he is, and he has almost 700 plate appearances and an OBP of over .380…
73 runs scored!?!
If he gets on base and has as many plate appearances as you suggest he’ll score over 100 runs without a problem.