Russ Johnson
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1997-2005)
Russ Johnson was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2005 for the Houston Astros, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the New York Yankees, a span of 9 seasons. In 364 career games, he hit .264 with 221 hits, 14 home runs, and 97 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1997-04-08
- Last Game
- 2005-07-15
Full name: William Russell Johnson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 364 | 836 | 117 | 221 | 46 | 2 | 14 | 97 | 16 | 105 | 173 | .264 | .348 | .374 | .722 | -102 |
Career AVG .264 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .348 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .374 vs. league average .425 across their career seasons — 11.8% below league average.
Career OPS .722 vs. league average .761 across their career seasons — 5.1% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | HOU | NL | 21 | 60 | 7 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 14 | .300 | .266 (+12%) | .336 (+8%) | .419 (-1%) | .756 (+3%) | 49.9 |
| 1998 | HOU | NL | 8 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1999 | HOU | NL | 83 | 156 | 24 | 44 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 2 | 20 | 31 | .282 | .271 (+4%) | .344 (+4%) | .433 (+2%) | .778 (+3%) | 81.6 |
| 2000 | HOU | NL | 26 | 45 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | .178 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2000 | TBA | AL | 74 | 185 | 28 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 4 | 25 | 30 | .254 | .270 (-6%) | .344 (avg) | .437 (-25%) | .782 (-14%) | 0.0 |
| 2001 | TBA | AL | 85 | 248 | 32 | 73 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 33 | 2 | 34 | 57 | .294 | .263 (+12%) | .332 (+14%) | .426 (+2%) | .758 (+8%) | 439.7 |
| 2002 | TBA | AL | 45 | 111 | 15 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 16 | 22 | .216 | .261 (-17%) | .331 (-3%) | .416 (-31%) | .747 (-19%) | -295.0 |
| 2005 | NYA | AL | 22 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 364 | 836 | 117 | 221 | 46 | 2 | 14 | 97 | 16 | 105 | 173 | .264 | — | — | — | — | 276 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (364 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 179 | 390 | 63 | 114 | 7 | 45 | .292 |
| Away | 185 | 446 | 54 | 107 | 7 | 52 | .240 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-07-15 | NYY | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-07-05 | NYY | BAL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-06-27 | NYY | BAL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-06-26 | NYY | NYN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-06-22 | NYY | TBR | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-06-21 | NYY | TBR | W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-06-19 | NYY | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-06-18 | NYY | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-06-17 | NYY | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-06-15 | NYY | PIT | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 7 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2B | 75 | 57 | 119 | 176 | 5 | 37 |
| 3B | 179 | 117 | 81 | 249 | 15 | 27 |
| OF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 26 | 10 | 13 | 29 | 2 | 4 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | HOU | 2B | 3 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997 | HOU | 3B | 14 | 11 | 4 | 22 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 | HOU | 2B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | HOU | 3B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | HOU | 2B | 15 | 7 | 16 | 32 | 2 | 6 |
| 1999 | HOU | 3B | 36 | 23 | 16 | 52 | 4 | 8 |
| 1999 | HOU | SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2000 | HOU | 2B | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2000 | HOU | 3B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | HOU | SS | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 2000 | TBA | 2B | 18 | 15 | 27 | 55 | 2 | 9 |
| 2000 | TBA | 3B | 49 | 25 | 14 | 74 | 3 | 6 |
| 2000 | TBA | SS | 11 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 | TBA | 2B | 33 | 31 | 60 | 83 | 0 | 21 |
| 2001 | TBA | 3B | 36 | 28 | 21 | 50 | 6 | 6 |
| 2001 | TBA | SS | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | TBA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | TBA | 3B | 27 | 27 | 23 | 38 | 1 | 5 |
| 2002 | TBA | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | NYA | 1B | 7 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2005 | NYA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | NYA | 3B | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | NYA | OF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 7 |
| Second Base | 75 |
| Third Base | 179 |
| Shortstop | 26 |
| Right Field | 3 |
| Designated Hitter | 10 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | TBA | AL | $575,000 |
| 2001 | TBA | AL | $270,000 |
| 2000 | HOU | NL | $260,000 |
| 1999 | HOU | NL | $205,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $1,310,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge | LA | 1992, 1993, 1994 |
Russ Johnson: the record in brief
Russ Johnson's major league career runs from a debut on April 8, 1997 to a final game on July 15, 2005. The season rows list, in order, the Houston Astros (1997 to 2000), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000 through 2002), and the New York Yankees (2005). Johnson played primarily as a third baseman and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on February 22, 1973, in Baton Rouge, LA, USA and a listed size of 5'10" and 185 pounds. Russ Johnson was the playing name; the full given name is William Russell.
Johnson collected 221 hits in 836 at bats across 364 games, good for a .264 batting average, plus 14 home runs and 97 runs batted in. Johnson's career OPS of .722 combines a .348 on-base mark with .374 slugging. The .264 career average is close to the .266 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 5.1% below league average (.722 against .761). The hits column peaks at 73, in 2001. The RBI column peaks at 33 in 2001.
Frequently Asked Questions about Russ Johnson
- What years did Russ Johnson play?
- Russ Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2005.
- Was Russ Johnson a pitcher?
- No. Russ Johnson was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Russ Johnson hit?
- Russ Johnson hit 14 career home runs with 221 hits.
- What was Russ Johnson's career batting average?
- Russ Johnson batted .264 over his career, with 221 hits in 836 at bats.
- How many RBI did Russ Johnson have?
- Russ Johnson drove in 97 runs in his career.
- Is Russ Johnson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Russ Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.