Owner and Head Coach
Steve Johnson
Born and raised in Baltimore, he attended St. Paul’s School where he was a star player for the Crusaders. As a 4 year varsity starter, Johnson had an impressive record of 34-5 with a 1.54 ERA and 323 strikeouts in 267.1 innings. He also batted .365, with 13 HR, 84 RBI. His standout performances included no hitter, perfect game and striking out 20 out of 21 in a game in his senior year while also setting a state record for doubles in a season (19) and runs in a career (147). His impressive 4-0 playoff record during his Freshman and Sophomore years helped the Crusaders win two consecutive MIAA “A” Conference championships against Calvert Hall. He currently holds nine St. Paul’s baseball records.
Steve is the only player to be selected to the first team All-Metro team all 4 years. He was selected as the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year in 2005 along with being selected to the AFLAC All-American Team which included players like Justin Upton, Buster Posey, Andrew McCutchen and Cameron Maybin.
After graduating from St. Paul’s, Johnson was drafted by the Dodgers in the 13th round of the 2005 amateur draft. Steve decided to sign with the Dodgers and give up his scholarship to play two ways at Boston College. He played in the minor leagues for four seasons before being traded to the Orioles in 2009. Steve made his major league debut with the Orioles in 2012 and went 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA down the stretch to help the Orioles make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years as a Wild Card team. He played for the team for parts of three seasons, compiling a 5-1 record with a 4.25 ERA. In 2016, he joined the Mariners and played in 16 games, going 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA.
Johnson’s most memorable moment in the major leagues came on August 8, 2012, when he started and earned his first MLB win, going six innings with 9 strikeouts to beat the Mariners at Camden Yards. The victory came exactly 23 years to the day after his father, Dave Johnson, earned his first MLB win with the Orioles at Memorial Stadium against the Minnesota Twins.
Johnson spent the rest of his professional career in the minor leagues before finishing his career with the Lancaster Barnstormers in the independent Atlantic League in 2018. Throughout his 14-year professional career, Steve logged 1065.2 minor league innings with the Dodgers, Orioles, Mariners and White Sox. He pitched to a 61-63 record during that time with a 4.23 ERA and 1024 strikeouts. At the Major League level, Johnson ended his career with a 6-1 record, a 4.26 ERA and striking out 86 batters in 76 innings.
Steve started Optimal Baseball Performance in January 2019 to help other players achieve their goals on and off the field.