Happy Birthday, Davey Johnson

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As I'm sure that everyone knows, Davey Johnson had a long and distinguished career in Major League Baseball, both as a player, and as a manager.

As a player, Johnson was the starting 2nd baseman on 4 World Series teams with the Orioles (2 Golds, 2 Silvers) between 1966 and 1971. He might have won the M.V.P. in the ALCS in 1970 when he hit 2 home runs and batted .364 with an OBP of .462 against the Twins in the Orioles' 3-game sweep of the Mid-Westerners. Unfortunately, that award (ALCS M.V.P.) would not come into existence until 10 years later, in 1980.

After being traded to the Braves following the 1972 season, Johnson and two of his teammates (Hank Aaron and Darrell Evans) became the first trio ever to hit 40 or more home runs in a single season for the same team (Johnson had 43 round-trippers, while Evans had 41, and Aaron had 40) in 1973.

For his career, Johnson hit 136 home runs, had 1,252 hits, and batted a very respectable .261 with an OBP of .340 ...... particularly good numbers for a middle infielder of his era (1965-1978.)

After he retired, Johnson was given a chance to manage by the New York Mets. After piloting AA-Jackson in 1981 and AAA-Tidewater (Norfolk) in 1983, he was promoted to manager of the big league club in 1984.

Before Johnson took over the reigns in 1984, the Mets had suffered 7 consecutive losing season between 1977 and 1983, and had finished in dead last in their division in all but one of those seasons. But that 1984 season turned out to be a very special one for the Mets, as they shocked the world by winning 90 games with youngsters such as Dwight Gooden, Hubie Brooks, Ron Darling, and Darryl Strawberry being complemented by solid veterans such as George Foster and Keith Hernandez.

Although the Mets won 98 games the following season in 1985, they fell just shy of making the playoffs, as their division rival (the Cardinals) won 100 games.

In 1986, Johnson's Mets overwhelmed the league by winning 108 games in the regular season. In the postseason they proceeded to win their first NL Pennant since 1973, and their first World Series since 1969.

In 1988 the Mets again dominated in the regular season en route to another NL East title, but were upset by Orel Hershiser's Dodgers in that year's NLCS, 4 games to 3.

In 1993, Johnson was hired by the Cincinnati Reds, where he guided the team to consecutive first-place finishes in the strike-shortened seasons of 1994 and 1995.

In 1996, Davey took over the reigns of his original team, leading the Baltimore Orioles to back-to-back appearances in the ALCS in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

Johnson later managed both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals. In 2012, he led the Nationals to that franchise's first post-season appearance since 1981 with a 98-win season, and the NL East title.

After managing the Nationals for one more season in 2013 (86-76), Johnson retired.

Johnson was elected to the Orioles Hall-of-Fame in 1997, and the New York Mets Hall-of-Fame in 2010.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnsda02.shtml

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Davey was a power hitter.

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Happy birthday, Davey Johnson.

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A belated Happy Birthday wish to DJ.

Hey Roy, is there any momentum among people you know for Davey Johnson in the Hall of Fame? He has a resume that is just as good if not better than Whitey Herzog, Wilbert Robinson, Lou Piniella and Billy Martin. You could even call him comparable to Al Lopez.

Hey Roy, is there any momentum among people you know for Davey Johnson in the Hall of Fame? He has a resume that is just as good if not better than Whitey Herzog, Wilbert Robinson, Lou Piniella and Billy Martin. You could even call him comparable to Al Lopez.

Might even go in as an Oriole.

Honestly, I cant see it happening.

Puzzling, but thank you. I'll repost something I've done in the past, managers by all time games above .500:

1) 815 John McGraw*

2) 792 Joe McCarthy*

3) 503 Bobby Cox*

4) 427 Walter Alston*

5) 422 Frank Selee*

6) 421 Fred Clarke*

7) 420 Earl Weaver*

8) 406 Al Lopez*

9) 363 Tony La Russa*

10) 360 Sparky Anderson*

11) 348 Cap Anson*

12) 340 Billy Southworth*

12) 340 Harry Wright*

14) 329 Joe Torre*

15) 301 Davey Johnson

16) 299 Charlie Comiskey*

16) 299 Leo Durocher*

18) 298 Frank Chance*

19) 279 Miller Huggins*

20) 240 Billy Martin

* = Hall of Famer

Hey Roy, is there any momentum among people you know for Davey Johnson in the Hall of Fame? He has a resume that is just as good if not better than Whitey Herzog, Wilbert Robinson, Lou Piniella and Billy Martin. You could even call him comparable to Al Lopez.

Managers in the Hall are weird, but I guess no weirder than the players. My takes is the inner circle guys all get in, but after that you have to have some kind of narrative or champion. I love old stories of Uncle Robbie, but he had about half a HOF career as a player and is easily the (objectively) worst manager in the Hall. One game over .500, didn't have a terribly long managerial career, just two pennants and never won a Series.

Davey's better qualified than Robbie (well, he wasn't nearly as nice a guy although both were old Orioles*), but I think he'll need a champion to push his cause with some future Committee. There are some studies you can Google, simple stuff on W/L record and pennants and Series won and Davey doesn't rank up there with Cox, Torre, LaRussa, etc.

* Quote, possibly apocryphal, from Robbie's deathbed in '34: "Don't worry about it, fellas. I'm an old Oriole. I'm too tough to die."

Honestly, I cant see it happening.

Is it because of his personality? Also, one pennant, one World Series, although that's grading on a curve since divisions and expansion and larger playoffs have made that more difficult. Many/most of the managers on 25 Nuggets' list managed in 8-team leagues.

I always thought he got a raw deal after he was dismissed as Orioles manager. Davey woudve been a terrific long term manager for this franchise. Butt heads with PA.

Roy, you are spot on as usual. I can't agree with you more.

Dang, I hate to play the whatif game, but man, whatif they kept Davy and of course, Moose.

On 1/30/2015 at 8:08 AM, OFFNY said:

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As I'm sure that everyone knows, Davey Johnson had a long and distinguished career in Major League Baseball, both as a player, and as a manager.

As a player, Johnson was the starting 2nd baseman on 4 World Series teams with the Orioles (2 Golds, 2 Silvers) between 1966 and 1971. He might have won the M.V.P. in the ALCS in 1970 when he hit 2 home runs and batted .364 with an OBP of .462 against the Twins in the Orioles' 3-game sweep of the Mid-Westerners. Unfortunately, that award (ALCS M.V.P.) would not come into existence until 10 years later, in 1980.

After being traded to the Braves following the 1972 season, Johnson and two of his teammates (Hank Aaron and Darrell Evans) became the first trio ever to hit 40 or more home runs in a single season for the same team (Johnson had 43 round-trippers, while Evans had 41, and Aaron had 40) in 1973.

For his career, Johnson hit 136 home runs, had 1,252 hits, and batted a very respectable .261 with an OBP of .340 ...... particularly good numbers for a middle infielder of his era (1965-1978.)

After he retired, Johnson was given a chance to manage by the New York Mets. After piloting AA-Jackson in 1981 and AAA-Tidewater (Norfolk) in 1983, he was promoted to manager of the big league club in 1984.

Before Johnson took over the reigns in 1984, the Mets had suffered 7 consecutive losing season between 1977 and 1983, and had finished in dead last in their division in all but one of those seasons. But that 1984 season turned out to be a very special one for the Mets, as they shocked the world by winning 90 games with youngsters such as Dwight Gooden, Hubie Brooks, Ron Darling, and Darryl Strawberry being complemented by solid veterans such as George Foster and Keith Hernandez.

Although the Mets won 98 games the following season in 1985, they fell just shy of making the playoffs, as their division rival (the Cardinals) won 100 games.

In 1986, Johnson's Mets overwhelmed the league by winning 108 games in the regular season. In the postseason they proceeded to win their first NL Pennant since 1973, and their first World Series since 1969.

In 1988 the Mets again dominated in the regular season en route to another NL East title, but were upset by Orel Hershiser's Dodgers in that year's NLCS, 4 games to 3.

In 1993, Johnson was hired by the Cincinnati Reds, where he guided the team to consecutive first-place finishes in the strike-shortened seasons of 1994 and 1995.

In 1996, Davey took over the reigns of his original team, leading the Baltimore Orioles to back-to-back appearances in the ALCS in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

Johnson later managed both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals. In 2012, he led the Nationals to that franchise's first post-season appearance since 1981 with a 98-win season, and the NL East title.

After managing the Nationals for one more season in 2013 (86-76), Johnson retired.

 

Johnson was elected to the Orioles Hall-of-Fame in 1997, and the New York Mets Hall-of-Fame in 2010.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnsda02.shtml

 

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Happy belated birthday (January 30th), Davey Johnson.

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On 1/31/2016 at 4:09 PM, Roy Firestone said:

I always thought he got a raw deal after he was dismissed as Orioles manager. Davey woudve been a terrific long term manager for this franchise. Butt heads with PA.

Happy Birthday, Davey.