Nick Johnson

2013

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2011

To nobody's surprise, injuries were the story of Johnson's 2010 season, and he ended up playing just 24 games before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery in May. The Yankees declined their 2011 option on his contract, leaving him searching for an employer, but you know what you're going to get from him regardless of where he lands: a high OBP, decent power, and a very strong possibility that he misses a significant chunk of games due to injury.

2010

Johnson's power evaporated in 2009, which is not exactly a positive sign for a first baseman, but he stayed (mostly) healthy and his .400-plus OBP will be a welcome addition to even the Yankees' lineup after signing a one-year deal with New York. He'll likely hit second in the order and mostly be used at DH, while also playing first base when Mark Teixeira needs a break. However, his fragile history will always be a concern.

2009

Anyone surprised by the fact that Johnson suffered a completely different injury (a broken wrist, in this case) after finally making it back onto the field following his 2006 broken leg hasn't been paying attention. Johnson is what he is: a fine defensive first baseman with a great batting eye, decent power, and a gypsy curse on his head. He's as likely to fracture something tripping over the chalk line on the base paths as he is to record another 500 at-bat season.

2008

Johnson, the slowest healer in the majors, ended up missing all of 2007 due to the broken leg he suffered at the end of the 2006 season. Speed wasn't a big part of his game anyway, but even if he can manage to return healthy it's hard to say how the layoff will affect the developing power stroke he was finally adding on to his excellent batting eye. He's got the potential to be a 20-homer, .300/.400/.500 player, but if you do decide to take a chance on him staying in one piece make sure you have a reliable backup option on your roster.

2007

Johnson set career highs in at-bats and games played in 2006 before his bad luck caught up with him, and a freak accident and broken leg cost him the final weeks of the season. His power stroke finally arrived last year, as well, and assuming he can stay healthy his power and patience combo seems ideally suited to the No. 3 spot in the Nationals order. Rehab on his broken leg has gone slowly, and it's possible he could miss the first month of the season. Watch spring training reports on Johnson closely before you draft him.

2006

Johnson set a career high for at bats last season, and his rate stats were on a par with his 2003 stint with the Yankees. He doesn't have the power to be an elite first baseman, but a player who can manage an OBP better than .400 has a place near the top of any batting order.

2005

Johnson lived up to his injury-prone tag in 2004, registering his lowest AB total in three years. It's impossible to predict how many games he'll play, or what he'll do in them, so tread cautiously.

2004

Traded to Montreal for Javier Vazquez, Johnson could be poised for a breakout 2004 season with his batting eye and unreal on-base percentage. It's not inconceivable that he could be a batting crown candidate in a few seasons.

2003

Johnson had a somewhat disappointing rookie season in 2002 as he didn't quite live up to his minor-league reputation as an incredibly selective hitter and on-base machine. But 48 walks in 378 at-bats -- Johnson missed a month with a wrist injury -- certainly isn't anything to complain about, and Johnson showed that he could hit 25 home runs in a full-season's worth of playing time. With Jason Giambi firmly entrenched at first base, however, Johnson may have to share the DH duties for the Yankees with some combination of Rondell White, Raul Mondesi and Juan Rivera when they're not playing in the outfield, so 450 at-bats might be a reasonable expectation for his second season.