Mets Season in Review: Kelly Johnson

How he fared in 2016

After a solid stint down the stretch with the Mets in 2015, Johnson’s return to the Braves was less than stellar.

He signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Atlanta in January of 2016, but his production dipped as a member of the rebuilding Braves. In 49 games with the Braves in 2016, Johnson hit just .215 and struck out 25 times, hitting just one home run and driving in 10 runs.

Then in June, the Mets returned to the well. They dealt then-23-year-old pitching prospect Akeel Morris to the Braves for Johnson to try build up some infield depth. Captain David Wright and Lucas Duda were both put on the shelf in late May, so the team needed to bring in some pieces to try and bolster infield productivity.

With the Mets in 2016, Johnson again proved to be quite valuable. In 201 plate appearances with the team, he hit .268 and drove in 24 runs while hitting nine homers. He came up extremely clutch in a few big moments for the Mets, including a pinch-hit go-ahead homer in Atlanta to break a scoreless tie in the 11th.

Another big moment came late in August at Citi Field. With the Mets and Marlins still jockeying for position in the NL Wild Card standings, Johnson broke a 2-2 tie against Miami with a bases-clearing double in the 8th inning to propel the Mets to a big victory.

Coming off the bench and filling in where needed, Johnson showed again in 2016 that he is a solid player who can come up in a big spot.