Zobrist doing his HoJo impersonation...

The recent Zobrist 30/30 article almost gave me an opportunity to throw out the name "Howard Johnson".  Just saying how HoJo was a three time 30/30 guy would give me a nice flashback to my childhood.

Prior to commenting I decided to give Howard Johnson's stats a quick look and was somewhat surprised to see how his first 30/30 came about...

Howard Johnson entered the 1987 season as a former first rounder who never showed consistent numbers in the majors.  He never hit more than 12 HRs in a season (though he hit 10 in 256 PAs in 1986) and never stole more 10 bases.  He was never a full time player though he looked like he was given the opportunity twice. 

HoJo finally came into his own in 1987.  As a 26 year-old he hit .265/.364/.504 with 36 HRs and 32 SB.  He finished 10th in MVP voting.

His numbers declined a bit in 1988, spiked to career bests in 1989, fell dramatically in 1990, then he bounced back for his final 30/30 in 1991.

Should we expect a Johnson like career for Zobrist?

Probably not, but comparisons are fun.