Rojo Johnson’s baseball cards can’t come soon enough …

Rojo Johnson’s baseball cards can’t come soon enough … by Chris Olds

May 7, 2010, 11:22 am
Filed under: Beckett Media, Collectibles, In the minors, MILB, MLB, Topps | Tags: baseball, baseball cards, Eastbound and Down, HBO, MILB, minor league baseball, Rojo Johnson, Rojo Johnson baseball card, Round Rock Express

We’ve had no word from Topps on whether Minor League Baseball’s newest phenom, Billy Ray “Rojo” Johnson, will be included in the second series of 2010 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards, but after making his debut in historic fashion Thursday night, he should appear on a baseball card as soon as possible.

That’s where ProCards comes in. (We think… maybe … )

Taking the mound in the sixth inning for the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, Rojo tried to bean the first batter he faced, got himself ejected from the game and then threw his glove before spraying beer at a Nashville Sounds player.

Then, of course, they fought in the outfield.

Who is Rojo Johnson? Baseball America had never heard of him, but a few Chromies and dedicated autograph collectors probably have. According to the team, the right-hander was born in East Texas, was raised in Venezuela and recently had a prison sentence commuted. (Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn says “hello” from the California Penal League. “Nice, number, too,” he said. )

“He served time for running a smuggling ring that imported rare and illegal species of reptiles into the United States from South America during the mid-to-late 1990s,” read the team’s statement after it signed Johnson. “Thursday night’s game marks Johnson’s first in American professional baseball after a storied career in the Venezuelan leagues.”

Baseball needs more characters. Johnson is undoubtedly one of them.

Read more about Rojo’s exploits — and see more photos from his historic debut — by clicking here.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

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