Deron Johnson
First Baseman
1969-1973
Career w/Phillies: .251 AVG / 88 HR / 304 RBI / 4 SB
Like Ryan Howard after him, Deron Johnson could really wallop the ball. But unlike Howard, Johnson wasn’t as devastatingly terrorizing. Still, Johnson could hit the ball. He was fourth in the National League in home runs in 1971, hitting 34 for the Phillies. He also struck out a lot, finishing in the top 10 three times during his Phillies career. He finished 25th in MVP voting in 1970, another solid season for Johnson. In 1973, the Phillies traded Johnson to Oakland after injuries seemed to slow him down. He would post two more double-digit homer seasons before retiring in 1976.
Comment: A hulking brute, Johnson was the force in the middle of the Phils order when they moved to Veterans Stadium. He was a clear profile of the Phillies before Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski, much like Jim Thome was to today’s Phils.
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