Nick Johnson’s Vitals

26-year-old 6-3, 224 First Baseman, bats and throws left, career BA .255,
OBP .372, HR 38 in his fourth season, salary $1.25 million. Has also played
for NY Yankees.

Quick Take:

A large, lumbering first baseman who has yet to display the power or durability
normally associated with such a player.

The Skinny

Nick Johnson probably is one of the few Nats you’ve actually seen play. He
broke in with the Yankees and played in every postseason game of their 2003
run to the World Series. In an example of the circular nature of player
movement in baseball, he was traded to the Expos prior to the ’04 season as
part of the Javier Vasquez trade. Vazquez was traded in midseason for Esteban
Loaiza, who just signed with the Nats as a free agent. (怪怪的!)

Perhaps it’s a bit unfair to say that Johnson lacks power as he has a career
slugging percentage of .418, certainly respectable. But he hits home runs at
a pace of 19 per 162 games and you want more power than that out of your
first baseman.

The other issue to blame for his paltry career total of 38 homers is the
injury bug. Last year he started the season on the injury list with a bad
back and he ended it on the DL with a broken cheekbone. It took him until
late last year, his fourth season, to accumulate 1,000 career at bats.

According to Scouts, Inc., “Johnson's calling card is his understanding of
the strike zone,” but I fail to see where this notion comes from. For his
career he has struck out (228) 40% more often than he has walked (165).
That’s not very impressive given his home run number.

Still, Johnson has the possibility of becoming a valuable member of the Nats
if (all together now) he can stay healthy. He’s a decent fielder with good
range. His OBP makes him a good fit near the top of the order, perhaps in
the #2 spot. At 26, he’s approaching what should be his prime and perhaps
the Nats will benefit from such a development.

Or perhaps not. There has been talk of dealing Johnson for either prospects
or a pitcher. Even if the is still wearing a Nats uniform when the season
starts, he’ll likely be a topic of discussion as the July 31 trading
deadline approaches (assuming, of course, that the Nationals aren’t in
serious playoff contention).

2005 Down and Up

Downside: .255 BA, 16 HR, 40 RBI
Upside: .290 BA, 22 HR, 70 RBI