Third Baseman
Johnson was signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent third baseman in 1962. He batted .248 for their Western Carolina League affiliate, the Salisbury Braves in 1962, and committed seven errors in only 29 games for a .868 fielding percentage. He batted .238 with an .872 fielding percentage in 1963, and the Mets began experimenting with him on the mound. He made eleven pitching appearances for the California League's Salinas Mets that season, and had a 6.75 earned run average without a decision.
With an .870 fielding percentage in 1964, the notion of Johnson as a third baseman was abandoned, and he was converted to a pitcher for good by the New York-Penn League's Auburn Mets. He pitched in the Mets' minor league system through 1967. Following the season, he was obtained by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Mets in the 1967 minor league draft.
Read more about this topic: Jerry Johnson (baseball)