MIAMI -- A native of Fort Pierce, Fla., Charles Johnson grew up attending his share of Dodgers Spring Training games at Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
So, at an early age, the former Marlins All-Star catcher was not only familiar with the legend of Jackie Robinson, he also witnessed firsthand the presence the late Hall of Famer had at the Dodgers’ longtime training complex.
“Jackie Robinson was always that name we’d hear at Dodgertown,” Johnson said.
On Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. ET, Johnson will moderate a Jackie Robinson Day roundtable of current and former players on the Marlins’ YouTube channel. Via a Zoom conference call, Johnson shares his stories and insights about Robinson along with current Marlins Lewis Brinson, Stephen Tarpley, Sterling Sharp and Jazz Chisholm, along with bench coach James Rowson and retired players Juan Pierre and Cliff Floyd.
“Everybody had some good points and some good things to say about what Jackie Robinson meant to them,” Johnson said.
Johnson enjoyed a 12-year big league career from 1994-2005. Drafted in the first round by the Marlins in 1992, Johnson was a four-time National League Gold Glove-winning catcher and two-time All-Star.
On Wednesday, MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, a tribute to the anniversary of Robinson broke the game’s color barrier.
“I came up as a catcher,” Johnson said. “That catching position is a tough position. You don’t really run into many African-American guys behind the plate.”
Johnson said he used Robinson’s determination as an inspiration to pursue his dream to catch in the big leagues. And Johnson went on to enjoy a stellar career. He was a big part of the Marlins' 1997 World Series championship team.
To the younger players, Johnson reminded them that when he was breaking into the big leagues, he learned the ropes from mentors like Andre Dawson and Terry Pendleton, stabled veterans who finished their careers with the Marlins.
“They were at the end of their careers, but those guys passed down a lot of veteran knowledge to young guys,” Johnson said.
To Johnson, a change that he’s seen in the sport from the 1990s and early 2000s to now is that speed played a bigger part in the game in the past.
“Back then, the excitement in the game came from guys like Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman and Deion Sanders,” Johnson said. “And the Juan Pierres of the game.”
Today, Johnson notes, there is more emphasis on power and less running. There’s more defensive shifting, and analytics play a greater role than before.
“Stealing bases,” Johnson said. “It was just exciting. Taking that single and turning it into a double. The speed part of the game was very different back then. I truly believe that’s what we used for the excitement of the game.
“Guys like Jackie Robinson brought speed to the league. You’d see hook slides, and he stole home. That brought excitement. I truly believe those are some of the reasons he changed the game. There are a lot of other reasons.”