The Marlins announced their slate of non-roster invitations to MLB camp on Thursday. Outfielder Daniel Johnson is among the group, as the MLB.com transaction log indicates he agreed to a minor league deal with Miami around the holidays.
Johnson played in a career-high 31 MLB games last season between the Giants and Orioles. The former fifth-round pick took 57 trips to the plate, batting .189/.246/.302 with one home run. Johnson is a career .196/.243/.322 hitter in sporadic looks spanning four seasons in the big leagues.
The 30-year-old has played parts of six Triple-A campaigns. Johnson has a .257/.323/.452 line at the top minor league level. That includes 52 contests last season, in which he had a solid .267/.314/.490 mark with a career-low 17.3% strikeout rate. Johnson has always had strong physical tools. He’s a good runner with an excellent arm and above-average bat speed. His approach and well below-average contact skills have kept him from securing consistent playing time at the MLB level.
Johnson is another left-handed bat in an outfield mix that includes lefty swingers Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee, Owen Caissie and potentially Griffin Conine. He’s likely to begin the season at Triple-A Jacksonville.
