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'{{Short description|American baseball player}} {{About|the American minor league baseball manager|other people with the same name|Ron Johnson (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Ron Johnson |image=Ron Johnson 2009.jpg |caption=Johnson as manager of the [[Pawtucket Red Sox]] in 2009 |position=[[First baseman]] |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1956|3|23}} |birth_place=[[Long Beach, California]] |death_date=January 26, 2021 |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 12 |debutyear=1982 |debutteam=Kansas City Royals |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=June 22 |finalyear=1984 |finalteam=Montreal Expos |statleague = MLB |stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]] |stat1value=.261 |stat2label=[[Games played]] |stat2value=22 |teams= '''As player''' * [[Kansas City Royals]] ({{mlby|1982}}–{{mlby|1983}}) * [[Montreal Expos]] ({{mlby|1984}}) '''As coach''' * [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{mlby|2010}}–{{mlby|2011}}) }} [[File:1985 Nashville Ron Johnson.jpg|thumb|right|Johnson with the [[Nashville Sounds]] in 1985]] '''Ronald David Johnson''' (March 23, 1956 – January 26, 2021) was an American [[minor league baseball]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]. From 2012 through 2018, he was the manager of the [[Norfolk Tides]] of the [[International League]], [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[farm system]] affiliate of the [[Baltimore Orioles]].<ref name="RJ2018">{{cite news |url=https://pilotonline.com/sports/baseball/norfolk-tides/article_69f96340-dc82-11e8-839a-9fa133f6025b.html |first=David |last=Hall |title=Orioles, Tide skipper part ways |work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]] |date=October 30, 2018}}</ref> His 2018 season with Norfolk was his 14th season as a Triple-A manager; he formerly helmed the [[Pawtucket Red Sox]] of the International League (2005–09), and the [[Omaha Storm Chasers|Omaha Royals]] (1998) and [[Omaha Storm Chasers|Omaha Golden Spikes]] (1999) of the Triple-A [[Pacific Coast League]]. Johnson was a [[first baseman]] for the [[Kansas City Royals]] and [[Montreal Expos]] during his brief [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) playing career from {{mlby|1982}} to {{mlby|1984}}. He threw and batted right-handed, and was listed at {{convert|6|ft|3|in}} tall and {{convert|215|lb|kg}}. Johnson is also a former [[coach (baseball)|first base coach]] of the [[Boston Red Sox]] of MLB. ==Playing career== When in high school, Johnson turned down football scholarships to [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] and [[Fresno State University|Fresno State]] to instead play baseball. Johnson was originally drafted by the [[California Angels]] in the 13th round of the [[1976 Major League Baseball draft|1976 June amateur draft]], but did not sign. The Fresno State graduate was a first-team [[All-America]]n selection in 1978 before being drafted by Kansas City in the 24th round, the 595th overall pick. He made his major league debut with the Royals on September 12, 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1982/B09120KCA1982.htm |title=Kansas City Royals 18, Minnesota Twins 7 |date=September 12, 1982 |website=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref> On December 15, 1983, he was traded by Royals to the Expos for [[Tom Dixon (pitcher)|Tom Dixon]]. Johnson played in 22 major league games over parts of three seasons, [[batting average (baseball)|batting]] .261 with 12 [[hit (baseball)|hits]], including two [[double (baseball)|doubles]] and two [[runs batted in]]. He played 830 games in the minor leagues, most of them at the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] level. ==Coaching and managerial career== ;Kansas City Royals Shortly after his playing days ended in 1985, Johnson became a coach in the Royals' minor league system. He served as a coach within the Kansas City organization for six seasons, before becoming a manager. Johnson made his managerial debut with the [[Baseball City Royals]] (Class A) of the [[Florida State League]] in 1992. In 1995, he won [[Texas League]] Manager of the Year honors after guiding the [[Wichita Wranglers]] ([[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]]) to the playoffs. In 1998, he reached Triple-A as manager of the [[Omaha Royals]], and in 1999 he led that club to a first-place finish in the [[Pacific Coast League]]. Johnson posted six winning seasons in his eight years managing in the Royals' organization. ;Boston Red Sox Johnson joined the [[Boston Red Sox]] organization in 2000 as manager of the [[Sarasota Red Sox]] (Class A) of the Florida State League. In 2002, Johnson was promoted to Double-A as manager of the [[Trenton Thunder]] of the [[Eastern League (U.S. baseball)|Eastern League]]. When the Red Sox switched Double-A affiliations to the [[Portland Sea Dogs]] in 2003, he moved with them and was manager of the Sea Dogs for the next two seasons. His 2003 club went 72–70 and missed the Eastern League playoffs by just a game and a half. In 2004, Johnson once again had Portland near .500 for much of the year before finishing at 69–73 and in a tie for 4th-place in the Eastern League Northern Division. From 2005 to 2009, Johnson served as manager for Boston's Triple-A affiliate, the [[Pawtucket Red Sox]]. On November 23, 2009, Johnson was appointed as first base coach for the major league Red Sox.<ref>{{cite news |last=Abraham |first=Peter |url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/11/red_sox_finaliz.html |title=Red Sox finalize coaching staff |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=November 23, 2009 |access-date=November 23, 2009}}</ref> He held the post for two seasons, but on October 5, 2011, it was announced that Johnson was dismissed from the Red Sox staff following the departure of manager [[Terry Francona]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Abraham |first=Peter |url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2011/10/report_red_sox_8.html |title=Report: Red Sox Let 1B coach Ron Johnson go |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=October 5, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref> ;Baltimore Orioles Johnson was next appointed manager of the [[Norfolk Tides]], Triple-A affiliate of the [[Baltimore Orioles]], and led them to back-to-back winning seasons in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, he managed the Tides to a division title and was named the [[International League]]'s Manager of the Year.<ref name="50rj18">{{cite web |url=https://www.milb.com/tides/news/orioles-announce-tides-coaching-staff-for-2018/c-265929196 |title=Orioles Announce Tides' Coaching Staff for 2018 |date=February 16, 2018 |publisher=Norfolk Tides |accessdate=February 18, 2018 |website=[[MiLB.com]]}}</ref> The 2018 campaign marked his seventh consecutive year as Norfolk's manager, and he holds the franchise record for games won as a manager (491).<ref name="50rj18"/> During the year, Johnson was named the winner of the Orioles' [[Cal Ripken Sr.]] Player Development Award,<ref name="homing">{{cite web |url=http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20160112&content_id=161713958&fext=.jsp&vkey=pr_milb&sid=milb |title=Johnson returning for fifth season at Triple-A Norfolk |date=January 12, 2016 |publisher=Norfolk Tides |accessdate=January 13, 2016 |website=[[MiLB.com]]}}</ref> but at the close of the season, he was released by the Baltimore organization as it underwent a significant front-office transition amid the departures of [[general manager (baseball)|general manager]] [[Dan Duquette]] and manager [[Buck Showalter]].<ref name="RJ2018"/> Johnson's minor league managerial [[win-loss record|record]] through 2018 is 1,752–1,770 (.497) over 25 seasons.<ref name="homing"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron Johnson Minor Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=johnso005ron |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="RJ2018"/> ==Personal life== Johnson and his wife, Daphne, have five children.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McDonald |first1=Joe |title=Healing is a family affair for Johnsons |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/columns/story?id=5963358 |accessdate=June 27, 2014 |work=[[ESPN]] |date=December 29, 2010}}</ref> His son [[Chris Johnson (baseball)|Chris]] was drafted in the 37th round by the Red Sox in June 2003 but instead opted for college; and was later drafted by the [[Houston Astros]]. Primarily a [[third baseman]], Chris Johnson spent a dozen years in professional baseball, including all or parts of eight seasons (2009–16) in the majors with five teams. He had a breakout season in {{baseball year|2013}} as an [[Atlanta Braves|Atlanta Brave]], finishing second in the [[National League]] [[batting average (baseball)|batting]] race at .321. He also led the Braves in [[double (baseball)|doubles]] (34) and finished second on the club in [[hit (baseball)|hits]] (165). Chris spent part of the 2017 season reunited with his father as a member of the Triple-A Tides in the Baltimore organization. Ron Johnson was forced to take an emergency leave from his coaching duties with the Red Sox on August 1, 2010, after his youngest daughter was seriously injured in a horse riding accident.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.patriotledger.com/archive/x1179101137/Red-Sox-coach-Ron-Johnson-nearly-loses-daughter-in-accident |work=[[The Patriot Ledger]] |location=[[Quincy, Massachusetts]] |date=August 8, 2010 |first=Brent |last=Frazier |title=Red Sox coach Ron Johnson nearly loses daughter in accident}}</ref> He missed the rest of the season but was able to return to the Red Sox at the outset of [[spring training]] in 2011. Johnson died from [[COVID-19]] on January 26, 2021. <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/sports/vp-sp-tides-johnson-20210126-4p3memhwdbfbdicttbz4g3e5eu-story.html?16116865551068 |work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]] |location=[[Norfolk, Virginia]] |date=January 26, 2021 |first=David |last=Hall |title=Former Norfolk Tides manager Ron Johnson dies of COVID-19}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist|30em}} ==Further reading== {{Commons category|Ron Johnson (baseball)|Ron Johnson}} {{Portal|Biography|Baseball}} * {{cite news |url=https://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/02/26/red-sox-1b-coach-johnson-daughters-accident-a-living-nightmare/ |title=Red Sox 1B Coach Johnson: Daughter's Accident a 'Living Nightmare' |website=[[WBZ-TV]] |date=February 26, 2011 |accessdate=August 21, 2019}} ==External links== {{Baseballstats|br=j/johnsro03|brm=johnso005ron|retro=J/Pjohnr002|mlb=116622}} * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6rYLh28OcU Triple-A Norfolk Tides manager Ron Johnson chats with Jim Hunter] via [[YouTube]] {{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-sports}}}} {{succession box|title=[[Memphis Chicks (Southern League)|Memphis Chicks]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Tom Poquette]]|years=1994| after=[[Jerry Royster]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Wichita Wranglers]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Keith Champion]]|years=1995–1997| after=[[John Mizerock]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Omaha Royals|Omaha Royals/<br>Golden Spikes]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Mike Jirschele]]|years=1998–1999| after=[[John Mizerock]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Trenton Thunder]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gardne002wil Billy Gardner Jr.]|years=2002| after=[[Stump Merrill]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Portland Sea Dogs]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Eric Fox]]|years=2003–2004| after=[[Todd Claus]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Pawtucket Red Sox]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Buddy Bailey]]|years=2005&ndash;2009| after=[[Torey Lovullo]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Boston Red Sox]] [[coach (baseball)|first-base coach]]|before=[[Tim Bogar]]|years=2010–2011|after=[[Alex Ochoa]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Norfolk Tides]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Gary Allenson]]|years=2012–2018| after=[https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=kendal001gar Gary Kendall]}} {{s-end}} {{1978 College Baseball All-Americans}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Ron}} [[Category:1956 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:All-American college baseball players]] [[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada]] [[Category:Baseball coaches from California]] [[Category:Baseball players from California]] [[Category:Boston Red Sox coaches]] [[Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players]] [[Category:California State University, Fresno alumni]] [[Category:Fort Myers Royals players]] [[Category:Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players]] [[Category:Fullerton College alumni]] [[Category:Fullerton Hornets baseball players]] [[Category:Gulf Coast Royals players]] [[Category:Indianapolis Indians players]] [[Category:Jacksonville Suns players]] [[Category:Kansas City Royals players]] [[Category:Major League Baseball first basemen]] [[Category:Minor league baseball managers]] [[Category:Montreal Expos players]] [[Category:Nashville Sounds players]] [[Category:Norfolk Tides managers]] [[Category:Omaha Royals players]] [[Category:Pawtucket Red Sox managers]] [[Category:Portland Sea Dogs managers]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Long Beach, California]] [[Category:Trenton Thunder managers]] [[Category:West Palm Beach Tropics players]]'