Name: Charles Johnson
Rank: 107
Position: C
Year With White Sox: 2000
With the White Sox holding a 9 1/2 game lead in the AL Central just days before the trade deadline in 2000, GM Ron Schueler struck a deal to improve the team for the stretch run and the post-season, picking up Charles Johnson and Harold Baines from the Orioles in exchange for Brook Fordyce and three prospects. In his first game with the White Sox, Johnson hit a game-winning home run off John Wetteland and guided James Baldwin to his best start in his last 11 outings.
In 44 games over the season’s final two months, Johnson hit .326 with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs. He also provided a stabilizing effect behind the plate for a pitching staff that fell apart due to injuries as the post-season approached. As the White Sox battled the Mariners in the ALDS, Johnson was one of the few hitters who showed up, going 3-9 in the 3 game sweep. After the season, he became a free agent, ending his brief, but successful, White Sox career.
Johnson’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: