Rob Johnson's biggest booster

From The Missoulian in, um, er, ah....Missoula?

JOHN SMITHERS: Rock-solid Montanan needs to be played, traded

Rob Johnson is a chunk of granite, carved from the rough-hewn hills of Butte, America.

Rob Johnson is also in the difficult position of trying to earn a permanent job in major league baseball as a catcher for the Seattle Mariners.

Somewhere between that rock and the hard place is a soft-spoken guy who deserves a break.

It's a break Johnson has been working diligently toward for years - from his days on the Little League fields in Butte, to hours upon hours on college and minor league diamonds scattered across the country.

Unfortunately, Johnson is toiling away for an organization that doesn't have a clue.

The Mariners - one loss from becoming the first team in baseball history to lose 100 games with a $100 million payroll - have a backlog at catcher.

Backlog is cataloged. Then:

At 25, Johnson is getting long in the tooth for a minor leaguer, despite credentials that would have him holding down a roster spot - at least as a backup - on many major league rosters.

He was named the 2008 Pacific Coast League defensive catcher of the year for the AAA Tacoma Rainiers, and his .305 batting average led all regular starters.

Despite Johnson's breakout year with the bat, it's his work behind the plate that has earned him rave reviews from managers and scouts across baseball.

In March, I spent a week in Peoria, Ariz., at Seattle's spring training complex. Then-M's manager John McLaren said if Johnson could hit at the major league level, he would “start for 10 years.” Even if Johnson couldn't hit, McLaren said, his outstanding defense should earn him a backup role for just as long.

Now, however, if Seattle chooses to keep Johnson in the organization for the 2009 season, he could be looking at yet another year in Tacoma.

And that would be a shame.

There's more at the link about Johnson, the Rattler catcher for 77 games during the 2005 season.