Reed Johnson

Reed Johnson is a professional baseball player from the USA who plays as an Outfielder in left field. At the Temecula Valley High School, Johnson was a member of the baseball and soccer teams and was picked for the All-League and All-County teams for baseball. He went on to attend Cal State Fullerton college and was named to the Academic All-American baseball team. He became the first Cal State Fullerton player to score 100 runs and have 100 hits in a season.

Johnson was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2003 MLB Draft and began playing in the minor leagues with the AAA-affiliate of the Blue Jays, the Syracuse SkyChiefs. His debut for the Blue Jays came in April, 2003 and he ended his rookie season with a .294 batting average, with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs. In September of 2003, Johnson won the American League Rookie of the Month award.

In 2006, Johnson posted .319 as his batting average and had a .390 on-base percentage. In July, he was named as the starting left fielder. Johnson is second on the all-time Blue Jays' list of being hit by pitches, behind Carlos Delgado. Against, the Texas Rangers, Johnson was hit three times in a single game as well as against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In 2007, he extended his contract with the Blue Jays for another year. However, early in the season, Johnson hurt his back and was on the disabled list for 15 days before going back on it for another 60 days.

In 2008, he signed another 1-year contract but was unsure of his role as veteran Matt Stairs was kept on the starting side because of some splendid performances. David Eckstein's signing meant that Johnson was also out of the leadoff hitter's role. A number of other signings made, mainly to counter the injury plagued situation that hit the Blue Jays in 2007, meant that Johnson was uncertain about his future and decided to sign with the Chicago Cubs in March.