1975-1976

Deron Johnson was born on July 17, 1938, in San Diego. A dual football and baseball interscholastic sports star, the San Diego native excelled on the gridiron. He played end, linebacker, kicker, and punter for San Diego High School.  The All-American end was among the top athletes ever to come out of San Diego High School.

Pursued by several colleges, he was offered numerous football scholarships, including one from Notre Dame. He turned down the Fighting Irish and the other schools and upon graduation from high school in 1956, he signed with New York Yankees. He was assigned to the Kearney club of the Class-D Nebraska State League.

At Kearney the 17-year-old outfielder led the league in total bases, runs scored, RBIs, and home runs. The next year, the young phenom was promoted to Class-A Binghamton. Again he made the all-star team, and led the Eastern League in total bases, runs scored, and home runs. In 1958, Deron moved up to Triple-A Richmond (International League), where he clubbed 27 homers, and was selected as an IL all-star. 

The year also brought the first of military duties that would occasionally interrupt his ballplaying career. In 1958 and 1959 he served in the US Army for six months under the Reserve Training Program. On the field, his 1959 and 1960 seasons were spent with Richmond. Called up to the Yankees in September 1960, he made his major-league debut. Overall, Deron donned the pinstripes for 19 games in 1960 and ’61. In June he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics.

At Kansas City in 1961, he batted .216. In October he was recalled to active Army duty and served until August 1962. The remainder of the 1962 season he batted a paltry .105. 

In April 1963 Kansas City sold him to the Cincinnati Reds, who assigned him to their San Diego Padres team in the Pacific Coast League.

At San Diego, 1963 was a honeymoon of a year. Deron returned to his native California and was golden. He topped the Pacific Coast League with 33 home runs, tied for fifth with 91 RBIs, and was picked as the first baseman on the PCL all-star team. His performance pushed him onto the Reds’ 1964 roster, where he remained for four seasons. 

In 477 at-bats, as their starting first baseman, he hit .273, with  21 home runs in 1964. He was moved to third base and had a banner year in 1965, leading the league with 130 RBIs. After a .257 season in 1966, he fell to .224 in 1967. After the season the Reds dealt him in October to the Atlanta Braves.

Deron hit .208 with Atlanta in 127 games and lasted just a season and in December 1968, the Braves sold him to the Philadelphia Phillies. The move to Philadelphia revived the slugger and from 1969 to 1973, he clubbed 88 homers.

On May 1973, after nearly a decade of playing in the National League, Deron found himself back in the American League, as the Phils traded him to the Oakland A’s. The switch got him a World Series ring, as the A’s bested the New York Mets in the ’73 fall classic. He entered baseball history as the first player to hit 20 home runs in a season divided between both leagues.

Deron was on the A’s disabled list for 15 days in April 1974. In June he was released on waivers to the Milwaukee Brewers. In September the Brewers sold him to the Boston Red Sox for the stretch drive, where he hit .120 with two RBIs. The Red Sox released him after the season, because they did not need him when Tony Conigliaro had a successful spring comeback.

In April 1975, as a free agent, the 36-year-old veteran signed with the White Sox. In 148 games for the White Sox in 1975, he hit a team-leading 18 home runs. In September, after Jim Rice had been hit by a pitch that broke his left hand, the Red Sox re-acquired Deron and was 6-for-10 in the three games in which he appeared. The Red Sox went to the World Series but Deron had joined the team too late to be eligible for the Series roster. He played sparingly in 1976 and was released in June, after which he retired as a player.

A Poway, California, Deron owned a construction company in nearby San Diego and operated a 40-acre cattle ranch. 

In 1978 he returned to the Pacific Coast League and piloted Salt Lake City. In 1979 he became a hitting coach for the California Angels. In addition Deron coached for the Mets (’81), Phillies (’82-84), Mariners (’85-86), and White Sox (’87).

In June 1991 Deron Johnson was diagnosed with lung cancer. After a long fight with the illness, he succumbed on April 23, 1992, at age 53, in Poway.