Howard Johnson New York Mets Publications

Sporting News July 24 1989 Oral Hershiser/Los Angeles Dodgers Cover, Howard Johnson/New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Bo Jackson

Howard Johnson, nicknamed HoJo, is a former switch hitting third baseman who played for the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs from 1982 to 1995. He is third on the Mets' all-time lists for home runs and runs batted in and second on their doubles and stolen bases lists. Mike Piazza passed Johnson into second-place on both the all-time Mets home run list in 2004 and the all-time Mets RBI list in 2005. In January, 1979, he was drafted in the 1st round - 12th overall - by the Tigers. After the 1984 season, Detroit traded Johnson to the New York Mets for pitcher Walt Terrell. In 1996, when he found no team interested in his services, Johnson retired at age 35. In 2007, he took over first base coaching duties and later on becoming the hitting coach with the Mets.