Johnny Cardenas

Johnny Ray Cardenas

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lb.

• Schools Texas Christian University, Seward County Community College

• Born July 23, 1970 in Joliet, IL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Johnny Cardenas played as high as AAA then became a coach.

Cardenas was taken in the 46th round of the 1993 amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners after hitting .329 as a senior at Texas Christian University. He batted only .204/.308/.287 for the Bellingham Mariners in his pro debut that year. He split the catcher's job with Raúl Ibáñez. In 1994, Johnny put up a .208/.276/.242 line for the Riverside Pilots, backing up Jim Bonnici. In '95, the Illinois native backed up Jason Varitek with the Port City Roosters and hit .226/.259/.272. He started 1996 with Port City (14 for 74, HR, BB) then moved to the Texas Rangers chain, backing up Erik Pappas with the AAA Oklahoma City 89ers and hitting only .169/.179/.234 in 30 games. Out of Organized Baseball, Cardenas hit .298/.375/.438 with the Duluth-Superior Dukes in the easier independent leagues. He helped Duluth-Superior win the Northern League title. He returned to OB for one more year, going 11 for 55 with two doubles and a walk for the Chicago White Sox' Birmingham Barons affiliate. He backed up Mark Johnson.

Cardenas was head coach of Colbert High School from 1999-2003, then coached Greenville High School from 2003-2005. In 2005, he joined Stephen F. Austin State University as assistant coach. Three years later, he was promoted to head coach. He was 23-32 in his first season in that role, 2009. Cardenas retired after the 2024 season with a 293-483 record in 16 seasons.

Source: SFA bio