The Dodgers have signed pitcher Dan Johnson to a minor league contract, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reports. Johnson will report to Double-A Tulsa. He has spent the season in the Atlantic League and the American Association, both independent baseball leagues.
Johnson, 37, spent parts of 10 seasons in the major leagues as a first baseman, batting .234/.335/.405 with 57 home runs and 203 RBI. One of Johnson’s most memorable moments came in late September of 2011 when, as a pinch-hitter, he hit a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Rays would go on to walk off 8-7 winners. The win allowed them to sneak into the playoffs as Wild Card winners.
In the independent leagues as a hitter this season, Johnson batted an aggregate .236/.329/.424 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI in 286 plate appearances. As a pitcher, he compiled a 5.92 ERA with a 55/50 K/BB ratio in 76 innings.
Wolfson did a story on Johnson last month for KSTP-TV, the ABC affiliate for the Twin Cities. The story features video of Johnson throwing his knuckleball.
