Lesser known ballplayers who are relatives of Cubs greats

Chicago Cubs: The nephew of Mr. Cub had a brief MLB stint in the early 1980s

Bob Johnson is the nephew of “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks. No one needs to Google what Banks did in his Hall of Fame career, but Johnson’s MLB career is not nearly as well known.

Johnson was a catcher/first baseman drafted in the ninth round of the 1977 draft by the Texas Rangers out of Kimball HS in Dallas, Texas. He was drafted the same year his uncle was inducted into Cooperstown. Johnson displayed very impressive power in the minors, hitting 24 home runs in A-Ball in 1979 and 20 home runs in Triple-A in 1981.

In 1981 he made his debut with the Rangers, playing in only six games. He had a 20-game stint with the Rangers in 1982 and 72 games in 1983. In total, he played in 98 MLB games, all with the Rangers, and slashed .197/.261/.345 with nine home runs, 27 RBI and 69 OPS+.

In March 1984, Johnson was released by the Rangers, and that was it for him. Today he is 62 years old, not much else found in terms of info of him after his MLB career.