Tuesday, January 12, 1999

Reds get insurance at catcher

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Johnson signs; Taubensee faces surgery

BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Brian Johnson (center) gets a high-five from J.T. Snow after hitting his second HR of the game against the Reds last June 3. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        The Reds were looking to add depth at catcher, especially after discovering their starter, Eddie Taubensee, will need wrist surgery this week. Brian Johnson was looking for playing time and liked the Reds' mix of talent.

        Both sides got what they wanted Monday.

        Johnson, who hit 13 homers in 306 at-bats with the Giants last year, signed a one-year deal with Cincinnati and could potentially be the right-handed half of a catching platoon with Taubensee.

        The Reds, not able to offer as much money as other teams but promising more playing time, beat out St. Louis for Johnson's services. The Reds will pay Johnson a base salary of $750,000, with incentives that could bring the total to $1.35 million if he plays 140 games, a baseball source said.

        The signing coincided with the news that Taubensee, the Reds' starting catcher last year, will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. Taubensee is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, putting his return in the early weeks of spring training.

        “Sure (Taubensee's surgery) was a factor,” Reds General Manager Jim Bowden said of signing Johnson. “But we had been pursuing (Johnson), and had made offers to him prior to any knowledge we had of (Taubensee's) surgery.”

JOHNSON FILE

• Opening day age: 31. • Bats: Right. • Throws: Right. • Transactions: Drafted by Yankees in 1989 ... taken by Padres in 1991 minor-league draft ... traded to Tigers in 1996 ... traded to Giants in 1997. • vs. Reds: Hit .429 with four homers last year. • On defense: Threw out 33 percent of runners trying to steal last year. • Fun fact: Has three career grand slams. Avg R H HR RBI 1998: .239 34 73 13 34 Career: .254 111 297 40 159

        Johnson, who hit .239 with 34 RBI and tied a career high with his 13 homers last season, started a career-high 85 games at catcher but was released by the Giants in December. He isn't expected to wrest the starting job away from Taubensee, but could see significant action in a platoon. His acquisition puts the squeeze on backup Brook Fordyce, a righty.

        “I came real close to going to St. Louis,” Johnson said. “I had offers for more money, but playing time was important to me. I know Eddie's a good ballplayer. You've got to respect the guy that's already there. I'm sure he wants to play, but I'm looking forward to the chance to play.”

        Johnson is considered a better defensive catcher than Taubensee, throwing out 33 percent of runners who tried to steal on him in '98 compared to 25 percent for Reds catchers. In each of Johnson's five major league seasons, pitchers had a lower ERA with

        him behind the plate than any other catcher.

        “We wanted to improve our catching depth,” Bowden said. “Brian has power and hits well in this ballpark, and he was willing to take less money.”

        Taubensee said his wrist began bothering him in
tem
and the injury flared up again last week when he began hitting. But the Reds always seem to find competition for Taubensee anyway, bringing in new catchers like Benito Santiago and Joe Oliver in past springs.

        “I feel I did a good enough job last year to play every day again (.278, 11 HR, 72 RBI), but I understand with the surgery and not knowing what's going on why they did it,” Taubensee said. “It's something I'm used to. But I don't think the injury is serious, because I can do other things.”

        One of Johnson's agents, Dennis Young, said the Reds were one of four teams in the running. He de clined to name the others but said most made better financial offers.

        But Johnson, who is friends with Reds outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds from their days at Stanford, liked the Reds' potential.

        “I did a lot of checking around,” Johnson said. “There's not a lot of teams that can say they have three good starters (Denny Neagle, Pete Harnisch and Brett Tomko) plus Steve Avery and Jason Bere, who have a chance to be good again. That's nothing to scoff at.”

        The Reds' low payroll isn't an issue for Johnson. He sees talent here.

        “There's going to come a time when a lesser-payroll team wins a division title,” Johnson said. “I don't believe that because someone makes more money than I do, they're a better player. If you can get enough guys that believe that and know how to win, why not Cincinnati?”

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