Kelly Johnson

2013

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2012

Johnson came over to the Jays in a midseason trade and showed just enough patience and pop at the plate for the Jays to keep him another season by offering arbitration, which he accepted. The power he displayed in 2010 likely won't be approached again, but Toronto's a decent enough hitting park to help him out a bit. He'll return as the starting second baseman and offers a nice power and speed combination from a middle infielder.

2011

Thanks to a torrid April where he hit nine homers in his first 80 at-bats, Johnson delivered an excellent return for those who invested in him as a low-cost rebound candidate after the Braves non-tendered him last December. The home-road splits are telling - Johnson hit .311/.396/.580 at Chase Field and just .257/.343/.411 elsewhere, but at age 29, Johnson is still in his prime and there's no immediate threat in the D-Backs' pipeline to push him for at-bats at second base. Our only concern with his skill set is the 75 percent contact rate he carried last season, but he has a good enough eye to get his share of free passes. Even with a likely regression in the power department (his HR/FB mark doubled to 15.6 percent last season), Johnson should still be able to deliver something close to 20 homers and double-digit steals again this season.

2010

Johnson entered the 2009 season as Atlanta's starting second baseman and looked to be one of the better hitters at the position in the NL. However, an early-season slump (a .686 OPS in April) saw him lose playing time and he eventually was relegated to a backup role. It's hard to say exactly why he fell out of favor with the Braves. When he slumped, Martin Prado and Omar Infante got hot. Johnson is also a streaky hitter with great and poor months that often drive managers crazy. He's also hard to platoon because he actually hits better against lefties. The D-Backs signed him in December to take over as their starting second baseman. There's plenty of upside since he has a strong eye at the plate, good power for a middle infielder and some speed. His glove isn't an asset at second base, but it's passable enough to keep him in the lineup. He could be a good buy-low target as a bounce-back candidate as a result.

2009

Johnson will return as the everyday second baseman for the Braves after a hot and cold season, as he hit .250 or lower in four months of the season and was moved up and down the batting order. However, he hit .319/.355/.476 after Aug. 1 to finish strong. Johnson also showed improvement at second base with the second best range factor among National League regulars. Johnson has a strong eye at the plate, decent power and moderate speed. However, he did draw fewer walks and struck out more often in 2008. As long as those trends don't continue, he should be one of the better hitting second baseman in the NL.

2008

Johnson enters 2008 as Atlanta's leadoff hitter and everyday second baseman after Edgar Renteria was traded to Detroit. Johnson missed almost the entire 2006 season after Tommy John surgery and was converted back to the infield after being used in left field. Johnson quickly ended questions he could field the position and hit leadoff. A slump in June saw him briefly lose the leadoff role and fall into a platoon at second base with Yunel Escobar. With Renteria out of the mix, Escobar will move to shortstop and leave Johnson as the everyday starter. Johnson has a strong eye at the plate and showed good power (16 home runs) and moderate speed. As long as his glove isn't an issue, he's got the skill set to become a potential star.

2007

Johnson missed almost all of last season due to an injury to his throwing elbow which later required Tommy John surgery. He takes a lot of pitches at the plate, which should result in a strong on base average, but it's unclear if he has the power to win a sizeable role at the major league level. He'll need to prove he's healthy this spring, but he could win a share of the left field job or a reserve role. He's also been working at second base and the former minor-league shortstop could try to win a role there as well. Watch Johnson's progress this spring because his fantasy value would be higher if he qualified in the infield.

2006

Johnson got a chance to start in left field once the Raul Mondesi experiment ended and started strong with a .376 OBA before the All-Star break. The Braves like his approach at the plate as he takes a lot of pitches. However, in the second half of the season he struggled, hitting just .228. Johnson will be in the mix to win the starting left field job and could be a nice value considering his strong eye at the plate, but we'd like to see more power before we think he'll be a star.

2005

Johnson moved from shortstop to the outfield last season and had a solid year at the plate by hitting .281/.350/.466. The move to the outfield dims his fantasy prospects but he could still get a shot as a utility player with the Braves as early as this season since he can also play third base. He'll likely start the season at Triple-A and needs to show more power if he's going to be an impact player in the majors.

2004

Johnson could put himself in position to get a shot at the majors in late 2005 or early 2006 with a strong season. He held his own at Double-A by hitting .275/.340/.425. We'd like to see more walks before we get too excited.

2003

Johnson is a good hitter with amazing raw power and decent speed. He had a strong year in a pitchers' park in high-A ball. The 2001 supplemental pick will probably be moved to third base as he moves up in the system, but his diverse offensive repertoire should be plenty good for the hot corner. He's a good keeper pick.