Area Baseball Beat: Indians take chance on injury-prone Johnson
With a June swoon in full bloom, an offense sputtering on one cylinder and that 30-15 start dwindling into a 37-31 record, the Cleveland Indians need help. Now.
A healthy Nick Johnson certainly would help.
The Indians have been getting little production from their designated hitters and first basemen. With Travis Hafner on the disabled list, Travis Buck (.226 average, .273 on-base percentage) and Austin Kearns (.195, .290) have been ineffective as DHs, and first baseman Matt LaPorta, while serviceable, isn't doing much better, hitting .234 with a .307 OBP.
Hafner came off the disabled list Friday, and Buck was sent to Triple-A Columbus. That solved one problem. But Friday, LaPorta sprained his right ankle. He went on the 15-day disabled list Saturday, and Buck was called back up.
If Johnson, a Sacramento native and former McClatchy High School standout, can quickly regain his swing at Triple-A Columbus, he could solve the latest problem. Johnson is a lifetime .270 hitter with a .401 OBP.
However, a case can be made against Johnson. He has missed more than 700 games in the last 10 years with injuries, including a fractured right cheekbone, a broken right leg and an assortment of hand, wrist and back problems.
The Indians were willing to buck the odds.
They signed Johnson to a minor league contract March 7, even though he hadn't fully recovered from surgery on his right wrist – his fourth on that wrist and third within the last year. In the latest surgery, a tendon that had been causing him pain when he swung was removed.
"The wrist feels OK," Johnson told the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. "I have to keep doing my treatments and keep trying to get it stronger. The swings and misses are the ones in the past that have given me trouble. So when I square a ball up, I don't feel it at all."
Johnson says he must take small steps before he can take big strides.
"I haven't played in front of a crowd for a year," Johnson said. "I haven't been in the big leagues for a year. It's just nice to get back out there and compete in a game that means something."
Johnson, 32, played only 24 games last season with the Yankees. His last healthy year was 2009, when he hit .291 with 71 runs, 24 doubles, eight homers and 62 RBIs for Washington and Florida.
The Indians will pay him $750,000 if he makes the big leagues. There's a July 1 out clause in Johnson's contract, which should give the Indians plenty of time to figure out if he can help. The Indians also hold a $2.75 million option for 2012.
71 El Camino - News
Mexico City – Gunmen kidnapped a group of migrants in Medias Aguas, a city in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, a spokesman for the Hermanos en el Camino shelter in Ciudad Ixtepec told Efe. "We don't have much to go on right now," Hermanos en el
The football team forces three fumbles and intercepts three passes to hold El Camino in check and win its National Division, Northern Conference opener 26-9 at Cougar Stadium. El Camino comes into the game averaging more than five touchdowns per game
Sarah taught at El Camino until 1971 and then requested a transfer to another school. "In the excitement of transferring I didn't realize I was pregnant so I finished teaching kindergarten in December of 1971. Our youngest daughter Serena was born in
Graham joined El Camino in 2006 amid massive problems with the hospital's newly implemented ECHO (El Camino Hospital Online), a computerized records system from Eclypsys Corp. that replaced the medical information system installed in 1971.
Sonny Kumar, executive director of El Camino Wellness Center, expressed differing feelings about the new tax. “The reason the El Camino supports the tax is because we want to be able to contribute to the community,” Kumar said.
Open Question: What will fit on a 1971 El Camino frame? | Chevy
I have a 1971 El Camino with a 454 in it. I’m putting it on a new frame but may not use that body, or even an El Camino at all. I was wondering if anyone could help me out and let me know what else will fit on the frame. Make, Model, and Year would be awesome. I’m just looking to see what my options are. So far The only thing I know for sure will go on it is a Chevelle and someone else told me a Skylark would fit on it.
71 El Camino - Bookshelf
Art of the Muscle Car
The 1971 El Camino SS could still be eguipped with a torgue-heavy, 454-cubic- inch powerplant, though horsepower levels were down significantly from those ...Original Chevelle 1964-1972
There was no equivalent VF3 option package available for the El Camino in either year. The 1971-1972 Chevelle and El Camino were available with seven ...The Corvette in the Barn, More Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology
“1971 SS El Camino, fully restored, multiple award winner, handicapped accessible.” I figured what the heck, and I called. The elderly lady who answered was ...CIC's school directory
... 158 El Camino Christian School/San Mareos 619-744-2243 170 Eastlield Childrens Center campoen 408-379-3790 71 El Camino Cont High School/La Mirada ...Chevelle
The sculpted lines of the 1971 El Camino are clearly visible in this 1971 advertisement for the model. This family scene also shows a ...Daily Info Directory
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C#. Car Name. Series Name. Description. Loose. Carded ...
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