Kelly Andrew Johnson (born February 22, 1982 in
Austin, Texas) is a Major League Baseball second
baseman with the Atlanta Braves.
Johnson was drafted in the first round (38th
overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by
the Atlanta Braves. Johnson made his Major League
debut with the Braves on May 29, 2005 and became a
regular outfielder, due to the many injuries that
plagued the Braves early in the 2005 season. Johnson
was named the National League Player of the Week for
the week of June 13 after batting .417 with three
home runs and 11 RBIs in 24 at-bats.
An elbow injury sidelined Johnson for the entire
2006 season. He was placed on the disabled list
during spring training after experiencing pain while
making throws from the outfield, and had Tommy John
surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews on June 1.
During the offseason, Johnson spent many hours with
Braves first base coach Glenn Hubbard at Turner
Field to learn how to play second base effectively.
Johnson earned the starting position at second base
and as the leadoff hitter for the Braves for the
2007 season. He has exceeded all expectations as a
second baseman defensively, and has proved to be one
of the majors' most productive hitters at his
position.
On April 8, Johnson hit the first leadoff homer of
his career in a 3-2 win against the New York Mets.
In late June, Johnson lost his position as the
leadoff hitter in the Braves lineup. In the 48 games
Johnson played in May and June, his on-base
percentage was .325, well below the acceptable rate
for a good leadoff hitter. Willie Harris, who took
over the role as primary leadoff hitter, had an
on-base percentage of .440 prior to June 22
(Johnson's last game as the leadoff hitter),
prompting Braves manager Bobby Cox to make the
change. (As of August 10, Johnson had an on-base
percentage of .419 since June 22.) In addition to
being demoted from the top of the order, Johnson's
offensive struggles motivated Cox to move Johnson
into a platoon at second base with Yunel Escobar. He
capped off his year with 16 homers and a .276
batting average.
With Escobar taking over full-time at shortstop,
Johnson will be the Atlanta second baseman for the
2008 season.
Johnson is married to Lauren Thacker. They got
married on January 26, 2008.
