In the winter before the 1996 MLB season, the New York Mets went out and signed outfielder Lance Johnson to a contract. Coming off a year in which he led the American League with 186 hits in a season shortened by the player’s strike, the move was a big one.
Johnson’s 1996 season is filled with incredible numbers. It’s an outlier year in a career that quickly faded out shortly after.
Like many of his predecessors from the 1980s, Johnson helped his team with speed. Though he never led the league in stolen bases, Johnson averaged 37 per 162 games over his career.