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David Allen Johnson
Baltimore Orioles
Second Base
Born: January 30, 1943, Orlando, FL
Signed: Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent, June 2, 1962
Major League Teams: Baltimore Orioles 1965-72; Atlanta Braves 1973-75; Philadelphia Phillies 1977-78; Chicago Cubs 1978
World Series Appearances: Baltimore Orioles 1966, 1969-71
As a Manager: New York Mets 1984-90; Cincinnati Reds 1993-95; Baltimore Orioles 1996-97; Los Angeles Dodgers 1999-00; Washington Nationals 2011-13
Died: September 5, 2025, Sarasota, FL (age 82)
Following several seasons as a minor league manager, Johnson was named the Mets manager for their 1984 season and he'd lead the club to their second World Series title in 1986. Johnson would enjoy a lengthy managerial career, winning Manager of the Year honors twice - in 1997 with the Orioles, and in 2012 with the Nationals. Johnson's career record as a manager was 1,372-1,071, ranking him 10th all time in winning percentage among all managers with at least 1,000 wins. He was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1997 and the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2010.
As a Manager: New York Mets 1984-90; Cincinnati Reds 1993-95; Baltimore Orioles 1996-97; Los Angeles Dodgers 1999-00; Washington Nationals 2011-13
Died: September 5, 2025, Sarasota, FL (age 82)
Davey Johnson was the everyday second baseman for the Orioles between 1966 and 1972, winning two World Series rings with the club in 1966 and 1970. He made three All-Stars teams with the Orioles and won three Gold Gloves. Traded to the Braves following the 1972 season, Johnson's power numbers exploded as he hit a career-high 43 home runs (42 as a second baseman) to go along with 99 RBIs. His home run tally tied the record for second baseman set by Rogers Hornsby, and the record stood until 2021 when Marcus Semien hit 44 at the position. Johnson, Darrell Evans and Henry Aaron (#100) all hit at least 40 home runs in 1973, making that Braves team the first with a trio of players to reach the mark. Johnson spent the 1975 and 1976 seasons playing in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants. He returned to the majors in 1977 with the Phillies and played two more seasons before retiring and beginning his managerial career.
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| From the 1978 Phillies Yearbook |
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #606
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
The Card / Orioles Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Johnson spent his fourth season in a row as the Orioles' everyday second baseman. From his SABR biography, written by Mark Armour:
Phillies Career - Johnson
Johnson joined the Phillies as a free agent in February 1977 after spending two seasons playing in Japan. With Ted Sizemore (#552) and Larry Bowa as the regulars at second base and shortstop, Johnson was used in a utility role, appearing in 78 games overall with most of his time spent at first base. Wearing uniform #15, he had a solid first year with the Phillies, batting .321 with eight home runs in his limited role. He appeared in his final postseason game in 1977, starting at first base in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers and going 1 for 4 at the plate. Johnson began the 1978 season on the bench again and slumped to a .191 average. On August 6, 1978, the Phillies dealt him to the Cubs for pitcher Larry Anderson. Overall, Johnson appeared in 122 games for the Phillies, batting .273 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs.
Building the Set / Card #606
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show. The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year. I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova. I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.
I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set. My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table. I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2. I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4.
I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop. This was the 11th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 47th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day. Unsleeved, this card cost less than $1 after a dealer discount - a surprisingly low price for a semi-star card from the set.
The Card / Orioles Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is Johnson's fifth appearance in a Topps flagship set, and he'd start to earn so-called Topps hero numbers (cards ending in 0s or 5s) in the 1970 Topps set. The back of the card focuses on his success against the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series and his "skindiving" hobby.
Accuracy Index: Johnson's card scores a solid +5.
1969 Season
Johnson spent his fourth season in a row as the Orioles' everyday second baseman. From his SABR biography, written by Mark Armour:
Johnson battled back woes in 1969, but still hit .280 with 34 doubles, his best offensive season to date. He was selected to another All-Star Game, though he did not play, and won his first Gold Glove for his defensive play. He did all this despite regular visits to the chiropractor and enough discomfort that he often could not sit down. He hit just .231 in the playoff series with the Twins, and was just 1-for-16 in the World Series loss to the Mets. "I'm still flabbergasted we lost," remembered Johnson decades later, "that destiny made all sorts of funky things happen. Gusts of wind blowing balls back to their outfielders, [Ron] Swoboda’s (#585) diving catch, Al Weis hitting a home run; our winning just wasn’t meant to be."
Johnson joined the Phillies as a free agent in February 1977 after spending two seasons playing in Japan. With Ted Sizemore (#552) and Larry Bowa as the regulars at second base and shortstop, Johnson was used in a utility role, appearing in 78 games overall with most of his time spent at first base. Wearing uniform #15, he had a solid first year with the Phillies, batting .321 with eight home runs in his limited role. He appeared in his final postseason game in 1977, starting at first base in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers and going 1 for 4 at the plate. Johnson began the 1978 season on the bench again and slumped to a .191 average. On August 6, 1978, the Phillies dealt him to the Cubs for pitcher Larry Anderson. Overall, Johnson appeared in 122 games for the Phillies, batting .273 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #473
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (22): 1965-75, 1978-79, 1984-90, 1993, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2022 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #83FF-DJ
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 191 in the Beckett online database as of 1/2/26.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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