Alex Rodriguez fill-in Kelly Johnson says ‘it’s a good time to be a Yankee’

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Alex Rodriguez fill-in Kelly  Johnson says ‘it’s a good time to be a Yankee’

With Rodriguez  suspended for all of 2014, Johnson figures to be A-Rod’s replacement at third  base, even though Johnson has played just 16 games at the hot corner in his  career and they all came last year for Tampa Bay.

  By      / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, February 1, 2014, 11:47 PM

Kelly Johnson, who has lefthanded power that may be good fit in Bronx, takes over third base. AP

Frank Franklin II/AP

Kelly Johnson, who has lefthanded power that may be good fit in Bronx, takes  over third base.

Kelly  Johnson has worn a No. 2 jersey for each of the four previous big-league  teams he’s played for, but the new Yankee third baseman knows that’s not  happening this year. In pinstripes, that number is taken — forever — by Derek  Jeter.

Which is fine by Johnson, who says he’s willing to find a new lucky number  or, as he put it, “a new superstition,” considering the opportunity he has in  the Bronx.

With Alex Rodriguez suspended for all of 2014, Johnson figures to be A-Rod’s  replacement at third base, even though Johnson has played just 16 games at the  hot corner in his career and they all came last year for Tampa Bay.

He says he followed the Rodriguez drama closely but “not obsessively.” He  knew, though, that its outcome would affect his role.

“I was waiting for a decision,” Johnson said in a recent telephone interview.  “There was a lot of speculation. I don’t think there was a surprise, for the  most part. It turned out how I thought it would. It changes things for me, but  nothing that I didn’t know coming in when I signed. The Yankees were very  forthcoming and forward about what I should expect.”

While Johnson and the Yankees had discussed Johnson getting a lot of work at  third before Rodriguez’s suspension, once the 162-game ban was announced, Yankee  brass called him and urged him to “get as much work with our people at third  base and give yourself as much time as you need to be comfortable,” Johnson  said. He’s going to Tampa a few days early to do just that.

The Yanks have stockpiled potential options for third base beyond Johnson —  Eduardo Nunez, Scott Sizemore, Yangervis Solarte and Dean Anna have experience  there. But club executives view Johnson as the primary guy.

So Johnson, who will be 32 next month, is preparing by doing his usual  offseason agility and reaction work with a personal trainer. In between  workouts, he tries to temper his excitement about joining his new team.

“It’s a good time to be a Yankee,” Johnson said. He added, referencing some  of the club’s big winter acquisitions: “It seems like the team keeps getting  better and better every few weeks.”

One of those acquisitions, Johnson’s former Atlanta teammate Brian McCann, is  a close friend. Their families are tight and Johnson works out at the Windward  Baseball Academy in Alpharetta, Ga., which is run by McCann’s father, Howie.

Johnson joked that he’ll probably be McCann’s “punching bag for a while” in  the clubhouse. “I’ll let him feel good about himself for a time and he can  impress all the new teammates,” he cracked.

Johnson also has talked to two other former Atlanta teammates with Yankee  ties — Mark Teixeira and Lyle Overbay; Teixeira offered a hearty welcome and  Overbay has been offering tips on where to live. “My phone has blown up since I  became a Yankee,” Johnson said. “It’s amazing how many closet Yankee fans there  are, too.”

Johnson was appealing to the Yankees in part because of his left-handed power  swing, which could be a good fit at the Stadium. Johnson hit 16 homers in 366  at-bats for the Rays last season and slugged 26 in 2010, his best year in the  majors. That’s when he totaled 67 extra-base hits and had an .865 OPS for the  Diamondbacks. He’s struggled with inconsistency since and his numbers have  dropped.

“I feel like I’ve burned a few years trying to do what I thought I was doing  in 2010,” Johnson said. “Now I want to do things I do well — long at-bats,  extending at-bats, just being patient. Things like that bring a lot of value to  my game and I was doing them when I was young in the big leagues.”

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