Seattle has mercifully designated Rob Johnson for assignment after giving the 27-year-old catcher a total of 499 plate appearances during the past two seasons despite hitting a combined .204 with a .291 on-base percentage and .307 slugging percentage.
And unlike most catchers who get significant playing time despite not being able to hit, Johnson wasn’t even that good defensively. He did a solid job controlling the running game, but has more passed balls than any catcher in the league since the beginning of 2009 despite playing about half as much as the average starter.
Johnson finishes with the third-worst OPS in Mariners history among players with 500 or more plate appearances, as his .584 mark tops only Brian Hunter (.576) and the legendary Mario Mendoza (.522).
