High School:  C.K. McClatchy

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* MLB Career:  12 Years (New York Yankees, Montreal, Wahington, Florida,

    Baltimore) 

​* .268 Career Batting Average
* 95 Career Home Runs
* 398 Career RBI’s​

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Nick Johnson was born and raised in Sacramento and from an early age, he had his mind on one thing; baseball.  Nick grew up with a bat and glove in his hand.  At every opportunity, Nick and his dad would go to Land Park and play a game that was close to him and his family’s heart.  He played at Pacific Little League for his father who was the coach.  His talent was obvious and he had the makings of a being a future major leaguer. 

 

At the age of 13, he was selected to play for Team USA as they traveled to China for a tournament.  He tried other sports like football and basketball but when he went to McClatchy High School, Nick was all in on baseball.

 

He was a standout at McClatchy.  As a senior he was named to the All-State team and a third team All American.  He played four years of varsity baseball starting as a freshman.  He was a pitcher and first baseman and a phenomenal hitter.  In 1996, Nick was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3rd round of  the Major League Draft.  He spent three years in the minors and his big-league debut was delayed due to a wrist injury. 

 

In 2001 Nick was called up and was part of the current World Champion New York Yankees.  That was a magical year as Nick joined a team in the midst of winning three consecutive World Series Championships while being surrounded by Hall of Fame talent.  He played in the final 23 games of that season and the Yankees were on their way back to the World Series.  Unfortunately, their streak was stopped as they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven games,

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Nick had three memorable seasons with the Yankees before he was surprisingly traded to the Montreal Expos in 2004.  The following year, the franchise relocated to Washington DC and Nick was part of the very first Washington Nationals team.  Nick was working his way back from an injury that cost him a good part of the season before.  In 2005, he had an outstanding year hitting .289 with 15 home runs with 74 RBI. He was sixth in the National League in batting average. The next year was even better, as he had his best season, hitting .290 with 23 Home Runs and 77 RBI with an amazing On-Base Percentage of .428. while scoring 90 Runs and 110 Base On Balls.

 

Nick had his best years with the Nationals finishing in the Top-10 in several categories.  He was a fan favorite in DC. When the team moved into their brand new park Nick made history.  In 2008, in the first home game at Nationals Park, Nick drove in the very first run. 

 

Unfortunately, injuries derailed many of his seasons. In 2006, while he was having his best year, he broke his leg while chasing down a pop up and colliding with a teammate.  He missed the entire 2007 season, forcing him to have two surgeries.  In 2008, he suffered a debilitating wrist injury.  In 2009, Nick was back and hitting a career high .295 when his time in Washington was up as he was traded to the Florida Marlins.  

 

As a free agent in 2010, Nick was going back to New York and join the Yankees again.  That season, he injured his wrist sliding into 2nd base.  Two years later, he finished his career with the Baltimore Orioles after re-injuring his wrist.  At that time, at the age of 33, Nick decided to retire as he felt the injuries were just too much to overcome and he wanted to return to Sacramento and raise his family.  Back home in Sacramento, Nick can be found on most days at one of our area’ golf courses.

 

Baseball has always been in the family blood as Nick is the nephew of fellow Sacramento Sports Hall of Famer, Larry Bowa.  Nick had an outstanding 12-year Major League career. Known for his patience and discipline at the plate, along with being a clutch hitter, Nick had an amazing lifetime On-Base Percentage of .401 while having six consecutive seasons over .400, and a .384 batting average with the basses loaded.  Nick will always be remembered as a great hitter with outstanding dedication, and love for the game and his hometown of Sacramento.