Godfrey Johnson

Godfrey E. Johnson

• Bats unknown, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 160 lb.

• Born in Bahamas

Biographical Information

Godfrey Johnson was one of the first players from the Bahamas to be signed to a professional contract.

In March 1957, the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first major-league team ever to hold a tryout camp in the Bahamas. Almost certainly the man running the show was Howie Haak, the trailblazing superscout who became the first man to hunt for talent throughout all of Latin America and the Caribbean. That same year, Haak signed Al McBean, a pitcher from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, who went on to a notable big-league career.

The Pirates signed one player from this camp: Godfrey Johnson, an 18-year-old righthanded pitcher/first baseman. He got a contract with Clinton, their farm club in the Class D Midwest League. He never played in a professional game, though, because the Pirates released him after several workouts at Pittsburgh's old Forbes Field. Back in the Bahamas in 1958, Johnson was the local MVP with the Winnie Ann Reds team. Howie Haak would go on to sign several more Bahamians in years to come.

Reference

• "Class D Farmhand Signs With Pirates", Associated Press, May 25, 1957. Paul Waner is shown in the accompanying AP photo.