Lefty Johnson (outfielder)

William F. Johnson (September 28, 1861 – July 17, 1942) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or parts of five seasons in the majors.

Lefty Johnson
Outfielder
Born: September 28, 1861
New Jersey, U.S.
Died: July 17, 1942(1942-07-17) (aged 80)
Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 27, 1884, for the Philadelphia Keystones
Last MLB appearance
April 27, 1892, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average.264
Home runs2
Runs scored121
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Nicknamed "Lefty" and "Sleepy Bill", Johnson made his debut with the Philadelphia Keystones of the Union Association in 1884, playing just one game in left field and going 0-for-4. He did not play in the majors again until 1887, when he played in 11 games for the Indianapolis Hoosiers. He played all 11 games in right field, batting just .190. He was one of 19 different players to appear in right field that season for the Hoosiers.

Once again, Johnson spent two seasons out of the majors, returning in 1890 for the American Association's Baltimore Orioles. After batting .295 in 24 games that season, he would be one of the Orioles' primary outfielders in 1891, playing at least 24 games at all three positions while batting .271 with 79 RBI. However, after the Orioles moved to the National League in 1892, Johnson got off to a slow start. He went just 2-for-15 in his first four games and was let go, ending his major league career.

edit