Catching Up with Former KC Royals IF Elliot Johnson

Eric Boston: First, I want to thank you for taking time to answer some questions.  Even though your time in Kansas City may have been short, you will always have a special place on my favorite KC Royals list.  You and I share the same birthday.  How was your big day this year?

Elliot Johnson: That’s sick! Thanks for that.  I didn’t play well for them, but it was a special time that I’ll never forget man.  [My birthday was] low-key now that I’m old and have kids of course.

EB: That sounds about the same as me.  You last played in the bigs in 2014 with Cleveland.  What have you been up to since then?

EJ:  I signed with Texas in 2015.  They traded me to the Dodgers and I played in [AAA] OKC that year as my last season.  I nearly took a roving infield job with them the following season, but the travel grind is tough on my young children so I utilized my degree I earned while I was playing.

I do lot of consulting, business development, and lots of advanced planning to differentiate myself from the competition.  I have a few Royals as clients…

EB: That sounds very interesting.  Of course I wish you continued success…

EB: Prior to coming to Kansas City you had spent your big league career playing for the Tampa Bay Rays. What did you think when you found out you were going to be a member of the KC Royals?

EJ: It was a strange time.  I played well in 2012 and bled everything Rays greens and then blue. They DFA’d [me] without needing to. The trade was already agreed upon.

The deal was contingent upon placing (Felipe) Paulino on the 60 day DL to open a roster spot for me. The DFA was unnecessary and I didn’t like the way they handled it. Plus, I outplayed two guys they kept for 2013 and were going to pay way more than me for that year. I was bitter.

So when we played against them that season, I let them have it.  OPS over 1.200 I think, or around there. Ned and Shields told me I needed to pretend I was playing against them all the time!

But I couldn’t find much success against anyone else and they sent me out. My fault alone, but Dayton and Ned were great. Loved everyone there. Treated me like family and I have no bad things to say about their entire operation other than the fenced need to be brought in!

EB: Kauffman is huge! Guys are showing some power this year. Coming over with Shields and Wade Davis did that make the transition a bit easier?

EJ: It did. Nobody is going to give as much credit to him as he deserves, but Shields coming over was important to shift the culture in the clubhouse. He brought a lot man. Credibility, balls, and a cohesive culture to the clubhouse.

Work hard, have each other’s backs, celebrate the wins and more I can’t talk about here.

It’s un-quantifiable, but it’s important.  More us vs them, as opposed to “let me get what I can, while I can.”

Wade is just an amazing pitcher.  Incredibly gifted and competitive as hell.  Overall the three of us brought competitiveness to the team and [allowed] Ned to relax control of the clubhouse to the players.

Ned is/was a “Bobby (Cox) did it this way…so we will too” type manager.  Credit to him and Dayton for sticking to their guns.  They were one Bumgarner away from back to back!

EB: Bumgarner was so ridiculous in that World Series.  Absolutely lights out.

EB: What kind of goals or expectations did you have going into the 2013 season as you began your KC Royals tenure?

EJ: I felt like we were a playoff team. If we didn’t have that miserable month of May, we had a shot. The bullpen was unreal. Defense was incredible. Good lineup. We needed starting pitching. Shields and Wade brought that to the team, but you can’t win a handful of games or less in a month. Too hard to come back from that deficit.

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EB: So the runs in 2014 and 2015 didn’t come as a surprise to you?

EJ: Of course not! Salvy, Lo Cain and Esky. Those three saved runs every night. And Dyson would plug in and could save runs in CF if Lo Cain needed a day. Salvy is one of the best catchers in the game and Esky turned hits into outs all the time.

Gordo is a machine! Hoz and Moose were still developing and Dayton and Ned were being patient even though many fans and media members were clamoring to have them fired. We were good enough in 2013 just not consistent enough.

2014 it came together and 2015 was the culmination of all their patience and dedication to the process.

Royals fans everywhere can rejoice and be proud to be a fan again!

EB: I know I had been used to some rough seasons.  My youngest son was born in 2014 during the ALCS and I remember thinking he might never see the Royals struggle like I had.

EB: I know you spoke highly of the organization, what did you think of Kansas City in general? Any special memories?

EJ: Kansas City was great! We stayed in Overland Park and we loved it. The one day we had snowed out in May was a fun memory for me and of course the barbecue and the way fans would treat me and my family in public was always respectful and gracious, even if I wasn’t an All-Star.

Billy’s Hit It a Ton BBQ sauce was fun too!

Easily the best memory was the Father-Son outing. My dad had a picture taken with George Brett on the team flight and he looked like he was in love. Got to take BP on field in Cleveland and live the life he always wanted to for a day. Huge street cred to Davi and Dayton for that.

EB: We were up there for the game that got snowed out in May.  That was my daughter’s birthday weekend. Crazy! I’m a big BBQ guy, did you have a favorite place you liked to hit up?

EJ: No doubt! Joe’s of course and Jack Stack’s.

EB: Both good choices.

EB: Finally, I know you talked a bit about what you have been doing since you last played. Anything we should be on the lookout for from Elliot Johnson?

EJ: Eventually. I have a few concepts I like, but the only one your readers will care about is something I have to keep quiet for now.

I’m working with the Player’s Association on it and won’t be live for a while, but it is a great idea for any kid who thinks they have a chance to play professionally when assembling their team.

That’s all I can give you for now buddy.

EB: That sounds awesome! Let me know when you are able to roll it out and maybe we can have another chat. Thank you for answering my questions sir. I really appreciate it.

EJ: You got it.