Arizona Diamondbacks Sign Bob Howry and Kelly Johnson

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed right handed reliever Bob Howry and second baseman Kelly Johnson to one-year contracts.

The 36-year-old Howry has a 3.66 career earned run average. In 2008, he allowed opponents to hit .309 off of him and had a 5.35 earned run average with the Chicago Cubs. But, he rebounded in 2009 with the San Francisco Giants, allowing opponents to hit just .214 off of him and posting a 3.39 earned run average. Howry will work in a set-up role for the Diamondbacks, and this will be a good deal for Arizona if he can duplicate last year's success. That may not happen though, as Howry showed some signs of regression last year. His walk total in 2009 was his highest since 2001. His 46 strikeouts were one strikeout better than a career-worst. Howry's .214 opponents' batting average may be unsustainable. Add those things to the fact that he'll turn 37 years old during the season, and the right hander may be in for a tough 2010 season.

Kelly Johnson has only been a major leaguer for four seasons, spending all four of those seasons with the Atlanta Braves. The second baseman struggled in his rookie season (2005) like most players, hitting .241 with nine home runs and 40 runs batted in. His slugging percentage was a mere .397. An elbow injury sidelined him for the entire 2006 season. Johnson came back in 2007 and showed improvement, hitting .276 with ten triples, 16 home runs, and 68 runs batted in. His on-base percentage was .375. Johnson increased his average to .287 in 2008, hitting 39 doubles, 12 home runs, and driving in 69 runs. However, he struck out over 110 times for the second consecutive season, and his on-base percentage dipped to .349. The season ended on a positive note for Johnson. He went on the National League's longest hitting streak of the season (22 games) in September. He hit .398 with three triples, three home runs and 19 runs batted in for the month. Johnson's 2009 season was a disaster. He hit just .224 with eight home runs and 29 runs batted in. Johnson's on-base percentage dropped for the third straight year to .303, while his slugging percentage (.389) was a career worst. The Diamondbacks signing of Johnson is a risky one. It will be a bargain if he returns to his 2007-2008 form, but it will be a waste if he plays like he did this past year.

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