Pirate Autograph Project #10: Dave Wayne Johnson

I've never had to suffer the fate of having a common last name.  But I'm sure the struggle is real.  I don't need to add a bunch of numbers to the end of my email address to find one that isn't already taken.  There's no fear of one of those "mistaken identify" stories.

But imagine having a name so common that once you've reached the pinnacle of your profession - a place only a few thousand have reached - that you can't even claim your name.

Ouch.

There have been three Dave Johnson's in major league history.

This Dave Johnson was drafted out of college and pitched well in the minors, rising slowly through the ranks.  He finally got the call to the majors at age 27, and made it into 5 not so memorable games before heading back to the minors.

He ended up having a couple solid seasons for the Orioles as a started through 1989-90 before imploding in 1991.  But you may remember another Dave(y) Johnson that played for the Orioles who made a slightly more memorable impact on the franchise.

I couldn't find any photos of his brief tenure with the Bucs, so a card from his AAA days with the Bucs will have to do.