Tag Archives: Daniel Johnson

Guardians trade Daniel Johnson to Mets

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Daniel Johnson is on the move. The Cleveland Guardians have traded Johnson to the New York Mets. The Guardians received cash considerations in exchange for Johnson.

Cleveland opted to go in other directions with their outfield coming out of Spring Training sending Daniel Johnson to Columbus. The Guardians have used a variety of players in the outfield this season including Myles Straw, Steven Kwan, Josh Naylor, Ernie Clement, Oscar Mercado, Amed Rosario, and Franmil Reyes. Now just as the second month of the season is drawing near they have decided that Johnson is no longer in their organizational plans.

Appearing in just 35 games across two seasons for the Guardians, Daniel Johnson struck out 32 times in 89 at-bats with four home runs and five runs batted in.

Cleveland not able to keep up with Texas, lose 7-3

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The Cleveland Baseball Club was outscored by four and outhit by nine in a 7-3 loss at home to the Texas Rangers.

The first game back from the Little League Classic did not go well for the the Cleveland Baseball Club. Texas totaled 15 hits compared to just six for Cleveland which contributed to the four-run loss.

Eli Morgan started for Cleveland and really was not fooling anyone. Morgan allowed four runs on eight hits with two walks in just 4.1 innings. The Rangers stuck early with as Nate Lowe hit a three-run homer in the 1st, the bulk of the runs scored against Morgan. A fourth run came across to score in the 5th against Morgan, eventually leading to his exit.

The Rangers did not do all of their damage against Morgan as they managed to score three runs in the 9th off of Bryan Shaw. Shaw allowed two singles while recording two outs in the final frame, but allowed a three-run homer to DJ Peters ending his outing.

Cleveland did get two homers from non-lineup regulars, Daniel Johnson and Yu Chang. Neither player sees the field all that much and it is more than likely they are not on the roster next season.

Wednesday presents an opportunity to even up the series with Texas as Game 2 is scheduled for 7:10 P.M.

Daniel Johnson homers in 3-1 win over Twins

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The Cleveland Baseball Club outfielder provided just enough for the team to come out on top over the Twins Tuesday. 

Called up the day before and in need to prove that he has a spot on the big league roster, Daniel Johnson stepped up to the plate in the 5th inning already 0-1. Eager to get a hit after flying out in the 2nd, Johnson took a hack at a first pitch curveball and missed. Opening an at-bat with a off speed pitch, particularly a curveball is a risky endeavor as it can lead to a batter keying in on a fastball since it is unlikely he will see two curves in a row. That is just what happened as Johnson took a middle-in fastball on the very next pitch and hit it on to the concourse in right field.

This was one of two hits on the day for Daniel Johnson, the second of which was a lot less exciting, an infield single. However, the important aspect of his first hit it was enough to give Cleveland a win. Minnesota could only muster one run in the contest while Cleveland scored three, two of which came on Johnson’s home run in the 5th. The third run came in the 6th with Amed Rosario scoring on a Wilson Ramos sacrifice.

The story of the game was not all about Daniel Johnson and the offense. Eli Morgan took the hill to start the game and delivered an impressive performance. Morgan would allow just three hits and two walks over 6 innings, keeping the Twins off the scoreboard along the way.

Minnesota did have a chance to do some damage thanks to a shaky outing from Trevor Stephan. Stephan walked the bases loaded while failing to record an out in the 8th. James Karinchak was called into action and managed to keep the damage to a minimum, just one run scoring on a fielder’s choice. Emmanuel Clase would come in the 9th, striking out two batters to earn the save.

Cleveland gives up 6 runs in 9th in 10-5 loss

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The Tampa Bay Rays broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the 9th by scoring six runs and handing Cleveland a 10-5 loss, their second straight at home.

The struggles of the Cleveland Baseball Club bullpen continue. A day after giving up two runs in the 9th in a 5-4 loss, Cleveland allowed six runs en route to a 10-5 loss. Five of the six runs allowed were charged to Nick Wittgren who allowed. leadoff single to Randy Arozareana and followed that up by hitting Kevin Kiermaier with a pitch. Wittgren’s second pitch to Joey Wendle resulted in a tie-breaking RBI single. After inducing a line out from Brandon Lowe, Ji-Man Choi crushed a three-run bomb to give Tampa a 8-4 lead. Wittgren would walk Nelson Cruz before being lifted for Blake Parker. Parker would go on to allow one run on two hits in just two-thirds of an inning.

Zach Plesac started the game for Cleveland and was hit around early by Tampa and a comedy of errors in the 2nd did not help matters as two runs came around to score on an error from Jose Ramirez. Plesac would allow four runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings with three strikeouts and. two walks. The least surprising development in this game was that the newly acquired Nelson Cruz clobbered a home run off of Plesac.

Before the collapse in the 9th things were going fairly well for Cleveland. After being down 4-0 early, Jose Ramirez single handedly brought the team back. First it was with a three-run homer in the 3rd inning.

Ramirez would later tie the game at 4 with a RBI triple in the 7th.

Cleveland would score one more time in the contest as Daniel Johnson hit a solo home run with the game all but over.

With the loss Cleveland sits nine games behind the division leading White Sox. As far as the second wild card spot is concerned, Oakland leads them by six games with three teams in-between. The time to sell is rapidly approaching and it would not be surprising to see the team make moves on their next off day.

Zimmer, Johnson homer in 4-2 win over A’s

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The Cleveland Baseball Club got homers from both Bradley Zimmer and Daniel Johnson in their 4-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.

After bouncing back and defeating the Oakland Athletics Saturday, the Cleveland Baseball Club had the chance to win the series on Sunday and they took advantage of it. Bradley Zimmer got things started for Cleveland by launching the first pitch of the game into the stands for a home run.

Zimmer would finish the game 3-5 with three runs driven in. The 28-year old outfielder has been a nice little streak as of late with eight hits in his last six games. Zimmer is slashing .381/.435/.667 with a 1.101 OPS including two home runs and six RBI.

Bradley Zimmer was not the only Cleveland outfielder to display some power as Daniel Johnson hit his first major league home run Sunday.

Johnson went 3-6 at the plate in the past two games in Oakland, scoring three runs along the way.

In addition to the more than welcome offensive production, Cleveland got a good start from Zach Plesac. Plesac allowed just two runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts in 6 innings. Oakland’s first run scored on a throwing error from Ernie Clement while a solo home run from Seth Brown was the second run to come across during his start.

Nick Wittgren, Phil Maton, and Bryan Shaw handled the final three innings, keeping Oakland off the base paths during that time. Shaw handled the 9th and secured his second save of the season.

With the win Cleveland remains 8 games back of the Chicago White Sox in the division. By taking two of three from Oakland they now trail by just 3.5 games in the Wild Card race. Cleveland begins a crucial three games series in Houston against the Astros on Monday.

Cleveland makes handful of roster moves

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The Cleveland Baseball Club has made a handful of roster moves prior to their doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays.

As expected the Cleveland Baseball Club made some roster moves Wednesday.

The team has placed Eddie Rosario on the injured list and transferred Josh Naylor from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Additionally, the team optioned pitcher Logan Allen to Triple-A.

To fill their newly created roster spots on the big league roster the team selected the contract of DJ Johnson while recalling both Daniel Johnson and Owen Miller.

While Cleveland has miraculously been able to stay relevant in the playoff hunt, at some point the injuries are going to catch up to them. That point may be coming soon if it hasn’t already.

Cleveland needs to make some roster changes soon

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The time is is coming soon for the Cleveland Baseball Club to make a handful of roster changes.

The theme of the 2021 season for the Cleveland Baseball Club has been transition. Continuing to compete while turning over the roster and finding out about some of their younger players. Well, the time is coming to turn the roster over yet again and find out about some more guys. The team is overachieving record wise and is not really a threat to make a postseason run. With injuries starting to pile up it is best to figure out what the team has in two of the often mentioned options in the minors at the expense of two others on the major league roster.

Those two on the current roster? Jake Bauers and Yu Chang. The two guys in the minors? Bobby Bradley and Daniel Johnson.

Bauers simply has not developed and is just brutal to watch at the plate. Some of that can be due to Bauers not living up to expectations after being acquired from Tampa prior to 2019. Although some of that falls on the organization as they simply have a hard time developing hitters for some time now. Bauers is slashing .198/.287/.292/.579 with a 63 WRC+ on the year, this is just not acceptable production and cannot be justified to keep getting playing time. As far as Chang goes he is nothing more than a bench player. There was some optimisms from certain sections of the fanbase that he could be something more, but he just isn’t really a player that should get regular playing time. Considering the lack of production and an injury to a key offensive player (Franmil Reyes), Cleveland needs players who can play on a regular basis. This just appears to be the perfect time to find out more about some of their players currently in the minors.

And that brings us to Bobby Bradley and Daniel Johnson. Many have been clamoring for them to replace a handful of players on the current roster for quite some time. To the dismay of many they have had to wait their turn, mostly to sort some things out with guys like Jake Bauers. The time has come for them to get their shot at being everyday players so the team can figure out what they are. There are still questions and concerns about if they are able to play at the major league level. Sure, both Bradley and Johnson could struggle as well, but is time to turn the page with Bauers and Chang by opting to go with Bradley and Johnson.

At the end of the day it is about determining whether or not some of these fringe type players can be regular contributors. It does not appear that is the case with Bauers and Chang, which is why going through this process with Bradley and Johnson should begin sooner rather than later. In reality it is more than possible that the true answers for Cleveland are in the next group of players yet to be called up. That is when things should get a bit more exciting down on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Daniel Johnson will not make major league roster

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The Cleveland Baseball Club informed the outfielder the he will not make the Opening Day roster.

The chances of Daniel Johnson making the Opening Day roster were always slim to none and slim is no longer an option. Johnson was informed by the Cleveland Baseball Club that he has not made the team and will be sent to the alternate training site and possibly the minors for the time being.

There are a few reasons why Daniel Johnson did not get his shot. First off it is an already crowded outfield with the likes of Eddie Rosario and Josh Naylor in the corners. Center field features Oscar Mercado and the Amed Rosario experiment. That is before considering Jordan Luplow will be a platoon bat and the. team still has to figure out what they’re doing with Bradley Zimmer and Harold Ramirez. There are simply too many major league level guys that the team has to figure out what they are doing with before even considering Johnson.

The key takeaway is that the team wants Daniel Johnson to play all three outfield positions. Johnson has 234 appearances in right field, 222 in center, and 97 in left in all levels of his career. In the minors those numbers are 198, 148, and 44 respectively. It seems that Cleveland not only wants him to have more familiarity with all there positions, but be proficient in them. There is an obvious imbalance between the three spots experience wise and leveling that off a bit would be preferable.

At the end of the day the chances of Daniel Johnson making the Opening Day roster was never all that likely. If the team did not sign Eddie Rosario and acquire Josh Naylor last season perhaps there is an opening, but until there is clear path Daniel Johnson will have to wait and that is not a bad thing. Johnson is still only 25-years old and a little more development could be best for the Cleveland prospect. There will come a time for Johnson to make an impact for the Cleveland Baseball Club, but that will be in the future. When exactly that future is will be the question.

Examining the Cleveland Baseball Club outfield

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Coming out of the 2020 season there was two, possibly three outfielders that could be penciled into the starting lineup for the Cleveland Baseball Club on a regular basis. Those three were Franmil Reyes, Josh Naylor, and Oscar Mercado. Now that the team has gone out and signed Eddie Rosario that number increases by one more and a little bit more clarity comes to that group. In Cleveland’s group of outfielders there are some players who will get significant at-bats and others who will see play time sparingly if at all. Before we get into some of those players, there is an issue that must be discussed.

Musical chairs at three positions

Exactly which position some of these options play will give a better perspective into how the Cleveland outfield will be constructed. While all names that will be mentioned can play the outfield, there are other positions that they have the ability to play.

First base is a position that can be manned by two players, the aforementioned Josh Naylor and Jake Bauers. If either player can fill that position, it provides an opportunity for the other in the outfield, although there is a better chance for Naylor to stick in the outfield than Bauers.

Last season there was a plan to try and get Franmil Reyes more time in the outfield. For a variety of reasons that did not come to pass and Reyes saw his playing time almost exclusively at DH. If Reyes does find his way into the Cleveland outfield this season it will impact the playing time of a non-outfielder, that person being Bobby Bradley. Reyes in the outfield clears a path for Bradley to get regular playing time at the major league level. If not, Bradley will have to fight for the first base position with Bauers and Naylor or even spend more time at AAA. This should go without saying but Reyes and Rosario in the corner outfield spots are not defensive wizards so that could come into play in regards to whether or not Reyes is an option in the field.

The last chance duo

There are two players on the roster who may not be long for Cleveland if they do not find a way into the lineup, the previously mentioned Jake Bauers and Bradley Zimmer. Bauers is someone who has options at first base if outfield is not an option, but Zimmer is purely an outfielder. The issue with Zimmer has been injuries and a subpar performance at the plate. Even with the reconstructed swing Zimmer is not all that inspiring when he steps into the batters box. If Cleveland determines that they are not in need of their services, and that seems very possible, that they may have to try and catch on with another club.

The part-timer

Here is what we know about Jordan Luplow, he can mash left handed pitching and struggles against righties. Luplow is a left handed pitching hitting specialist for Cleveland and his career splits show that. Against lefties Luplow slashes .275/.379/.603/.982 while against righties it is /.193/.274/.316/.589. 18 of Luplow’s 23 career home runs have come against lefties and 15 of 24 doubles. It is pretty clear that Luplow should only see playing time against left handing pitching.

The unknown and the best combination for Cleveland

There is one player that fans have been screaming to get a legitimate chance in the Cleveland outfield, Daniel Johnson. Johnson only has 13 plate appearances at the major league level and definitely deserves a real opportunity. Johnson has always been blocked one way or another in the outfield and has not really had a chance to make an impact. Now there is a path, but it is consists of a very specific combination. This path exists only if Reyes is the DH, Naylor is at first, Rosario in left, and Mercado in center with everyone else not being a real option.

Of all the combinations for Cleveland this one actually makes the most sense. Naylor fills the hole at first base, Rosario plays his familiar left field, Mercado patrols center, and Reyes can concentrate on hitting and can settle in to what his probably his future permanent position. If the construction of the roster ends up this way it should give them the best combination of all their pieces. This version of the Cleveland outfield seems to be the most stable and could provide the most offensive production for a group that has been lackluster for quite some time.

Cleveland cuts roster down to 28

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The Cleveland Baseball Club has made four roster moves in order to cut the Major League roster down to 28 players.

Cleveland made four roster moves Thursday in order to get down to 28 players on their Major League roster. Greg Allen and Daniel Johnson were optioned to the Alternate Training Site Delino DeShields was activated, and Christian Arroyo was designated for assignment.

The moves in the outfield should hopefully provide a bit more clarity in regards to playing time. Cleveland had a ton of outfielders and none of them have necessarily been all that impressive. Taking Allen and Johnson out of the mix and inserting DeShields may help Cleveland find a solution in the outfield for the rest of the season. Worst case scenario is that more moves are made a later date that includes bringing back one or possibly both Allen and Johnson.

Cleveland takes on Cincinnati Thursday at 6:10 P.M.