Where Are They Ner? (September)

Ever wonder where that one prospect who never panned out ended up? What that one reliever you used to hate is doing now? We could tell you.

In every off-day newsletter, Mariner Muse takes a look at where old Mariners are these days - but with a slightly unique approach. First, we take a look at when they were on the Mariners, then at what their best moment as a Ner was. Third, we make a collective guess at what their life is like now…and then finally, we research (and reveal) where the once-upon-a-Ner is now. At the end of every month, we will release each that were examined in previous newsletters.

Here are the ones from September:

Rob Johnson | Catcher

Ner from: 2007-2010

Best Ner Moment: People I knew in high school, which I attended directly in Rob Johnson’s window with the Mariners, less than affectionately referred to him as “The Rally Killer” or Rob “6-4-3” Johnson. Considering Johnson is a career .200 hitter with 8 homers, it was hard to find a big moment for him in a Ners jersey. However, I found a game in 2009 where Johnson hit a huge 7th inning two-run dinger off of Kevin Millwood (of all people) to give the Mariners the lead in a previously tied game. Other M’s starting in that game included Ryan Langerhans, Jack Hannahan, and Ronny Cedeno.

Where MM Guessed he is Ner: Catchers often become coaches, so it wouldn’t shock me to hear Rob is coaching somewhere in the minor leagues. He always seemed like a good clubhouse leader type guy with the Ners, anyway. Also, he’s from Montana, so maybe he’s living on a ranch somewhere in the offseason.

Where he actually is Ner: After toiling away with the Padres, Mets, and Cardinals after leaving the Ners, Johnson weirdly decided to try to come back as a pitcher in the minor leagues at age 31. MLB.com wrote a story about him, but it appeared not to have worked, as Baseball Reference doesn’t have any pitching stats for him listed. Rob seems to be doing well for himself these days though, as he runs a seemingly successful coaching academy in Texas called Clutch Athletics. Wikipedia says he lives in Houston with his wife Kristan (the hell? Spell it with an “e” like a normal human) and his three kids. Recently, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Clutch has been collecting supplies and sharing shelter information through its Twitter feed. Good job, Rob.

Kenji Johjima | Catcher

Ner from: 2006-2009

Best Ner Moment: Easily his first game in a Ners jersey, when Kenji belted a dinger against the Angels, making him the first catcher to hit a home run in his first ever MLB game since Jerry Moore, who did it in – wait for it – 1884. 1884! Johjima actually went yard in his second game as well, which makes him the only catcher to have ever pulled off that feat. The hype was real…and unfortunately, it slid downhill from there.

Where MM Guessed he is Ner: When Johjima joined the Ners, he and Ichiro became the first pair of Japanese position players to be in the starting lineup for the same MLB team. Since Kenji apparently loves breaking records, he moved back to Japan and has since proceeded to break numerous records for dingers hit by a catcher.

Where he actually is Ner: Kind of. Kenji did in fact move back to Japan – and had a killer year in 2010 for the Hanshin Tigers (he hit .303 with 28 dingers), but began to decline significantly after then. He played only 38 games in 2011 and 24 in 2012 before calling it quits with baseball and focusing on family life instead. He now lives in Sasebo with his wife Maki, and his children Yuta and Miu. But perhaps the most interesting part about Kenji is this: when he moved to the States, he actually began calling himself “George Mackenzie” instead of “Johjima Kenji” (they kind of rhyme), because Americans struggled to pronounce his name. He still does this today.

#WhereAreTheyNer