Ben Johnson – Memphis Flyer

A life-changing silver lining can be discovered even in a pandemic. Ben Johnson’s mother was in her fifth year of a battle with cancer when the coronavirus outbreak took hold of the United States in the early months of 2020. When professional baseball shut down in March of that year, the Memphis Redbirds’ second-year manager found himself at home, here in Memphis, with his ailing mom. Johnson was able to spend countless hours, days, and weeks with her that he would not have had were the Redbirds traveling from one Pacific Coast League city to another between homestands at AutoZone Park. Today, almost two full baseball seasons removed from that shutdown, Johnson is grateful for minor-league baseball’s “missing season.”

“It was an absolute blessing for me,” says Johnson. “The Cardinals were one of the few organizations that continued to pay the staff. I know [the pandemic] was awful for a lot of people, but it worked out for me and my family. I’m lucky.”

In his fourth year — third season — in the skipper’s office for the Redbirds, Johnson recognizes some internal growth as he adapts to the role he plays in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. “You can learn something every day out here,” he says, “especially dealing with different personalities. Each player is different, and you have to treat them as individuals. You can’t ‘old-school’ these new kids. They want to know that you care about them. It’s building relationships.”

The 2022 Redbirds find themselves hovering around .500 (63-59) with a month to play in the season. Outfielder Alec Burleson is contending for the International League batting title. (The Redbirds left the PCL after the 2019 season and are playing their first as members of the IL West Division.) The Cardinals’ top pitching prospect, Matthew Liberatore, has had ups and downs on the AutoZone Park mound. But Johnson’s primary task is fine-tuning his players to impact the parent Cardinals, and by that measure, the 2022 Redbirds were successful before Memorial Day, having sent three players — Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Juan Yepez — north to St. Louis. Each of the trio has contributed to the Cardinals’ rise to first place in the National League Central Division.

“We continue to play hard,” says Johnson. “We’ve got some young players, and we’re making mistakes. But we teach off that. Baseball comes and goes in waves. We’re hitting the ball hard, just right at players. It seems like one mistake has beaten us lately.”

When asked about players who have impressed him upon arrival, Johnson mentions a pair of young pitchers: Freddy Pacheco and Ryan Loutos. But his chest swells with pride when he reflects on the likes of Donovan and Gorman, who used their time in Memphis precisely as it’s scripted: a platform to the major leagues. “They had work to do,” says Johnson, “and they busted their tails. They’re competing for the big-league club, and immediately. It’s what [Gorman] did in the offseason. He came back more agile, more athletic. Quicker bat, and that equated into more power. When we were in Durham, he hit the farthest ball I’ve ever seen hit.”

Johnson relished the two months veteran shortstop Paul DeJong spent with the Redbirds. Demoted when he struggled to hit in the early weeks of the season, DeJong leaned into a program for rediscovering his stroke. Instead of pouting — DeJong had been the Cardinals’ primary shortstop since 2017 — he produced at the plate, driving in 54 runs in 51 games before being recalled by St. Louis.

“He wasn’t that hot when he first got here,” says Johnson. “But he was a pro in every way. Never did he go through the motions. When you have a veteran who’s in it, it makes me a better manager. He wants to be better. Let me facilitate that in every way. I want to be more prepared. I know he’s hungry. He inspired everyone.”

A 1999 graduate of Germantown High School, the Redbirds are Johnson’s home team in a way no previous Memphis manager could claim. And he hopes to return in 2023, particularly with the likes of Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn (highly ranked Cardinal prospects) soon to arrive. But for now, there are games to play in 2022, and Ben Johnson focuses on a culture of growth and positivity, traits he surely inherited from his late mother. “You’ve got to keep the negative energy at bay, because this is a game where failure is a part of it. Negative energy is contagious, and it can pull a club down. You’ve got to be mentally tough, despite [a bad] outcome.”

When the Memphis Redbirds open their 22nd season Thursday night at AutoZone Park, they’ll do so with their eighth manager. But 37-year-old Ben Johnson will be the first native Memphian to deliver the Opening Day lineup card to the home plate umpire. So it’s a homecoming of sorts for the former Germantown High School centerfielder, but with a recent standard almost impossible to match, particularly for a man in charge of his first Triple-A club.

“I’m in a position to put these players in a position to succeed,” emphasizes Johnson. “I don’t know that every manager puts his players first in their day-to-day. Their dream is my dream; I want them to be great. I can help them with that.”
Courtesy Memphis Redbirds

Ben Johnson

Born at Baptist East in 1981, Johnson entered professional baseball as a St. Louis Cardinal, adding a layer to his homecoming this season. The Cardinals chose Johnson in the fourth round of the 1999 draft, but traded him to San Diego a year later. He made his debut with the Padres in 2005 and played in 98 big-league games, his last with the New York Mets in 2007. (Johnson suffered a severe injury to his left ankle sliding into second base, one that contributed to his early retirement as a player. “The body went,” says Johnson, “and it took some time for the mind to grasp that.”) He chose to stick with baseball, becoming a scout for four years (2014-17) with the Arizona Diamondbacks before joining the Durham Bulls (Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays) as third-base coach for the 2018 season.

The Bulls fell to Memphis in last season’s Triple-A National Championship Game but, for Johnson, the event led to a career-altering meeting with St. Louis president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak. “We had a good conversation, and that started the ball rolling,” says Johnson. “He didn’t ask about my interest [in the Redbirds job], but just how interested I was in coaching. How I felt about coaching. He knew from my response that I love coaching.” Mozeliak happened to be the Cardinals’ pro scouting director in 1999 when the Cardinals originally signed Johnson as a player. The reunion had a road map.

“I’d see Mo on the scouting trail, and I covered the Cardinals [as a Padres scout],” notes Johnson. “You make sure you speak to a guy like that when you see him. There was some depth to it, I guess.”

Early in his playing career, Johnson spent offseasons in Memphis, but he and his wife and two children have lived in Phoenix for more than a decade now. “Better weather, more players coming together,” notes Johnson. “It was better for my career [in baseball].” But the lure of Memphis — and the Cardinals system — seemed more than serendipitous. “Interviewing for this job hit home more than any other position I’d ever interviewed for,” says Johnson. “We grew up Cardinal fans.”

Coming of age in the 1990s, Johnson admired the Atlanta Braves dynasty, particularly outfielder David Justice. But the Cardinals were in his heart, notably Ozzie Smith and a man he now counts as a colleague, Cardinals bench coach Willie McGee. “Sometimes when you meet your heroes, they’re not [what you’d like them to be],” says Johnson. “It’s all about the players with Willie, and it’s genuine. He’s transparent with the players.”

When asked about managers who have influenced his own philosophy from the dugout, Johnson starts with his high school coach, Phil Clark. “He helped me through the initial pro phase of my life,” says Johnson. “He helped me with what to say and what not to say to scouts.” Johnson also appreciates the influence of Dave Clark (currently the third-base coach for the Detroit Tigers) and Craig Colbert, his manager at a few levels in the Padres’ system. “There were days we didn’t like each other a lot,” says Johnson. “As I matured, we started to get along better. He had a big part in bringing me up as a player.”

Johnson’s first big-league manager was Bruce Bochy, a man who has since won three World Series as skipper for the San Francisco Giants. “There was no ‘eye wash’ with [Bochy]. No false hustle needed. Fake energy is not necessary. I don’t need you to sprint from field to field in spring training if you’re getting your work in. Be a professional. Show up on time, work hard, and we’ll be fine.”

Johnson chuckles at the notion of filling the shoes of his predecessor, Stubby Clapp, a Memphis favorite before he won two straight Pacific Coast League titles as Redbirds manager. Now the Cardinals’ first-base coach, Clapp is the first man Johnson calls with questions any rookie manager will confront. “The Cardinals have made it clear that it’s my fault if I don’t reach out,” says Johnson. “I’ve probably asked Stubby a hundred questions. He’s genuinely interested in what I have to say. He gives me an honest answer, and in a way that doesn’t make me feel like he’s annoyed.”

Having benefited from his own development as a minor-leaguer, Johnson has a grasp on priorities as the Redbirds take flight under his watch. “We have a really talented young group,” says Johnson. “I’m not judged by wins and losses. It’s how we go about handling our business, and building the foundation of development. The number-one goal is to produce championship-caliber players for our major-league team.”