Oft-injured first baseman Nick Johnson has elected to retire, according to WFAN's Sweeny Murti (Twitter link). The 34-year-old Johnson appeared in 38 games for the Orioles in 2012, posting a .207/.324/.391 batting line with four home runs.
Johnson will be remembered as an on-base machine thanks to a keen eye at the plate that helped him produce a .268/.399/.441 career batting line. His 15.7% walk rate is the 29th-highest mark of any player in baseball history with at least 3,000 plate appearances.
He appeared in 832 Major League games between the Yankees, Expos/Nationals, Marlins and Orioles. His production was limited by a host of injuries, most notably a broken femur and a torn tendon sheath in his wrist. The former third-round pick earned just over $29MM over parts of 10 Major League seasons, according to Baseball Reference.
