Rejoice: Reed Johnson is back to save the Miami Marlins season!
Editors Note: This post is satirical in nature and is not meant to be taken seriously. Enjoy.
The Marlins announced yesterday that Reed Johnson has re-signed with the team on a minor league deal, with an invite to Spring Training. Re-signing Johnson is something I pleaded the team to do earlier this offseason.
This announcement comes as a sigh of relief for many fans, as there were questions surrounding whether the front office would be able to pony up enough cash for the dynamic outfielder. Fortunately, Loria was able to dig deep into his pockets, and pony up for a player that was a key to the club’s improvement in 2014.
With Spring Training right around the corner, a heated battle is about to begin for the starting left field job, but everyone knows what the outcome should be. Reed Johnson will be equally as explosive this spring as he was the year previous, and he will lock down the left field job for the long haul. At 38 years old, he still has plenty of time to continue his development and plunge forward in his onslaught on the National League.
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Clubhouse leadership cannot be undervalued, and Reed Johnson was a fearless leader for this young ballclub last season. The intangibles possessed by Johnson are just icing on the cake, complimenting his all around game. Chemistry is the key to winning championships, just look at the Red Sox and Giants as examples. Johnson is a key piece in the clubhouse puzzle, and the rest of the guys would be devastated without him.
Great players make those around them better. Players like Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Alex Rodriguez all have the uncanny ability to influence their teammates in a positive manner. Reed Johnson epitomizes an uplifting team presence, just look what he did for Giancarlo Stanton last season. Before Johnson came around, Stanton struggled with inconsistency and just couldn’t stay healthy. Once the front office woke up and signed Reed Johnson, Stanton finally had his big year and earned a mega deal. I’m forecasting a similar deal for Johnson after 2015.
For those wizard stat-heads out there, the numbers back up Johnson as a better option over Yelich. Reed posted a -0.7 WAR last year, topping Yelich’s 3.6. It’s easy: Johnson is a far superior player for the Marlins, now and in the future, just do the math.