GaryMrMets
02-22-2002, 11:43 PM
http://montreal.expos.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mon/news/mon_news_story.jsp?article_id=mon_20020222_johnson _news&team_id=mon
News
2/22/2002 3:24 pm ET
Expos continue run on vets, sign Lance Johnson
By J.S. Trzcienski
montrealexpos.com
The veteran signings just keep on a-comin' for the Expos.
Three days removed from the signing of Jose Canseco and 24 hours after the signing of Felix Jose, the team announced Friday afternoon it had signed 14-year Major League veteran and 38-year-old outfielder Lance Johnson to a minor league contract. Expos General Manager Omar Minaya also announced the club had signed pitcher Osvaldo Fernandez to a minor league deal and had claimed outfielder Endy Chavez off waivers from the New York Mets.
Johnson, an All-Star in 1996 with the Mets, spent the majority of last season with the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He saw action in 35 games overall, batting .341 (46-for-135) with two home runs, 16 RBIs, and 26 runs scored. He also played 23 games with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League -- the same team with which Canseco began his 2001 campaign -- hitting .306 (26-for-85) with 12 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
The Cincinnati native made his big-league debut with the Cardinals in 1987, then went on enjoy his greatest successes with the White Sox (1988-95) and Mets (1996-97) before more recently spending time with the Cubs (1997-99) and Yankees (2000). Johnson is a lifetime .291 hitter (1,565-for-5,379) with 34 homers, 486 RBIs and 767 runs scored. He led the American League in triples six times (1991-94, 1996), and placed in the top 10 for stolen bases six years out of seven (1990, 1992-96). He was also led the AL in hits in 1995 and the NL in 1996.
Fernandez, for his part, spent last season with the Cincinnati organization. In 20 games with the Reds, he went 5-6 with a 6.92 ERA, making 14 starts. The right-hander tossed 79 1/3 innings, allowing 61 earned runs. The 33-year-old also made nine starts with Triple-A Louisville, going 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA, allowing 23 earned runs in 53 2/3 innings.
A native of Holguin, Cuba, Fernandez has four years of Major League experience, posting a lifetime mark of 19-26 with a 4.93 ERA and 212 earned runs allowed in 387 innings. He pitched with San Francisco in 1996 and 1997 before joining the Reds as a free agent in 2000.
Chavez, 24, played 29 games with Kansas City last year, batting .208 (16-for-77) in 29 games, adding five RBIs and four runs scored. He hit .337 (35-for-104) in 23 games with Triple-A Omaha, driving in four runs while scoring 18 times. He also spent 43 games at Double-A Wichita, posting a .298 average (50-for-168) with one home run, 13 RBIs and 27 runs scored. This past offseason, Chavez played 49 games with Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League, hitting .289 in 204 at-bats.
The Expos' Spring Training roster now stands at 67 players, including 31 pitchers, seven catchers, 14 infielders and 15 outfielders.
J.S. Trzcienski covers the Expos for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://montreal.expos.mlb.com/mon/photo/ph_news_johnsonmets288.jpg
Johnson enjoyed the finest year of his career in 1996, when he set personal bests in terms of average (.333), RBIs (69), at-bats (682), doubles (31), triples (21), and stolen bases (50) while with the Mets.
News
2/22/2002 3:24 pm ET
Expos continue run on vets, sign Lance Johnson
By J.S. Trzcienski
montrealexpos.com
The veteran signings just keep on a-comin' for the Expos.
Three days removed from the signing of Jose Canseco and 24 hours after the signing of Felix Jose, the team announced Friday afternoon it had signed 14-year Major League veteran and 38-year-old outfielder Lance Johnson to a minor league contract. Expos General Manager Omar Minaya also announced the club had signed pitcher Osvaldo Fernandez to a minor league deal and had claimed outfielder Endy Chavez off waivers from the New York Mets.
Johnson, an All-Star in 1996 with the Mets, spent the majority of last season with the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He saw action in 35 games overall, batting .341 (46-for-135) with two home runs, 16 RBIs, and 26 runs scored. He also played 23 games with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League -- the same team with which Canseco began his 2001 campaign -- hitting .306 (26-for-85) with 12 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
The Cincinnati native made his big-league debut with the Cardinals in 1987, then went on enjoy his greatest successes with the White Sox (1988-95) and Mets (1996-97) before more recently spending time with the Cubs (1997-99) and Yankees (2000). Johnson is a lifetime .291 hitter (1,565-for-5,379) with 34 homers, 486 RBIs and 767 runs scored. He led the American League in triples six times (1991-94, 1996), and placed in the top 10 for stolen bases six years out of seven (1990, 1992-96). He was also led the AL in hits in 1995 and the NL in 1996.
Fernandez, for his part, spent last season with the Cincinnati organization. In 20 games with the Reds, he went 5-6 with a 6.92 ERA, making 14 starts. The right-hander tossed 79 1/3 innings, allowing 61 earned runs. The 33-year-old also made nine starts with Triple-A Louisville, going 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA, allowing 23 earned runs in 53 2/3 innings.
A native of Holguin, Cuba, Fernandez has four years of Major League experience, posting a lifetime mark of 19-26 with a 4.93 ERA and 212 earned runs allowed in 387 innings. He pitched with San Francisco in 1996 and 1997 before joining the Reds as a free agent in 2000.
Chavez, 24, played 29 games with Kansas City last year, batting .208 (16-for-77) in 29 games, adding five RBIs and four runs scored. He hit .337 (35-for-104) in 23 games with Triple-A Omaha, driving in four runs while scoring 18 times. He also spent 43 games at Double-A Wichita, posting a .298 average (50-for-168) with one home run, 13 RBIs and 27 runs scored. This past offseason, Chavez played 49 games with Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League, hitting .289 in 204 at-bats.
The Expos' Spring Training roster now stands at 67 players, including 31 pitchers, seven catchers, 14 infielders and 15 outfielders.
J.S. Trzcienski covers the Expos for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://montreal.expos.mlb.com/mon/photo/ph_news_johnsonmets288.jpg
Johnson enjoyed the finest year of his career in 1996, when he set personal bests in terms of average (.333), RBIs (69), at-bats (682), doubles (31), triples (21), and stolen bases (50) while with the Mets.