Johnson was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating from
Princeton High School, he completed his education at the
University of South Alabama. The
St. Louis Cardinals drafted him in 6th round of the
1984 amateur draft. In 1986, he led the Class AA
Arkansas Travelers with 82
runs, 129
hits, 6
triples, and a league-leading 49
stolen bases. At the age of 24, Johnson broke into the big leagues on July 10, 1987. Johnson, playing for the
Louisville Redbirds, was the 1987
American Association Most Valuable Player. From 1988 to 1995 Johnson played for the
Chicago White Sox. Johnson is the only player in the history of Major League Baseball to lead both the American League and the National League in hits, and he did it in back-to-back seasons. He led the American League in hits in 1995 for the White Sox, and he led the National League in hits in 1996 for the Mets. From 1991 through 1994, Johnson led the
American League in triples, becoming the first player in Major League history to lead his league in triples for four consecutive years. In 1996, he led the
National League in triples, becoming the third player in history to lead both leagues in triples (
Sam Crawford and
Brett Butler being the first two). Johnson is also one of three major leaguers (the other two are Joe Carter and Steve Sax) to lead both leagues in at bats two consecutive years (with the Chicago White Sox in 1995 and with the New York Mets in 1996), making him the only major leaguer to lead both leagues in at bats, hits and triples. As of 2013, he is one of only four players (Crawford,
Stan Musial, and
Willie Wilson) to lead the league in triples as many as five times. He is also one of a handful of players to collect three triples in one game, doing so on September 23, 1995, in the White Sox' 14–4 victory over the
Minnesota Twins at the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The three triples were part of a 6-for-6 performance for Johnson, who became the first White Sox to collect six hits in one game since
Floyd Robinson in 1962. His finest season came in 1996 with the New York Mets. That year, he accumulated 227 hits, 21 triples (the highest single season total in that category since 1985), 50 steals, 31 doubles (the only season in which he accumulated at least 20), 69 Runs Batted In, 117 runs scored, and a .333 batting average, all career highs. This was Johnson's only season in which he was selected for the All Star team. After the Mets, he played with the
Chicago Cubs from 1997 to 1999. He was slowed down by injuries during his years with the Cubs and in 2000. The Yankees won the World Series that year and Johnson was given a World Series ring for his service to the team. In 1447 games over 14 seasons, Johnson posted a .291
batting average (1565-for-5379) with 767
runs, 175
doubles, 117
triples, 34
home runs, 486
RBI, 327
stolen bases, 352
bases on balls, .334
on-base percentage and .386
slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .983
fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions. In 11 postseason games, Johnson hit .200 (7-for-35) with 3 runs, 1 home run, 7 RBI and 3 stolen bases. His speed on the base paths, and his uniform number "1", earned him the endearing nickname "One Dog". He now resides in Alabama with his wife and his three children. ==See also==