Armando Johnson Zaldívar (born 15 June 1958) is a Cuban baseball manager and former outfielder who managed the Cuba national baseball team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Playing Career
Johnson was born on 15 June 1958 in Isla de la Juventud, Cuba. He played twelve seasons in the Cuban National Series from 1977 to 1989 as a center fielder for the Isla de la Juventud team. Over his playing career, he hit .212/.258/.274 with a .891 fielding percentage and was 12-for-31 in stolen base attempts.
Managerial Career
After retiring as a player, Johnson managed Isla de la Juventud from 1990 until 2014, when he was fired. He also managed various Cuban youth national teams, including the U-15 and U-23 squads.
On 7 September 2022, Johnson was appointed manager of the Cuba national baseball team ahead of the 2023 World Baseball Classic on a two-year contract. His first tournament was the 2022 Caribbean Baseball Cup in The Bahamas, where Cuba finished second after losing the final to Puerto Rico.
In 2023, Cuba under Johnson finished fourth in the World Baseball Classic, won a silver medal at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, and won the 2023 Caribbean Baseball Cup in Puerto Rico. However, Cuba finished sixth at the 2023 Pan American Games.
In the 2024 WBSC Premier12, Cuba finished last in their group with a 1–4 record, a result widely described by Cuban media as a failure. On 25 February 2025, Johnson was dismissed as manager of the Cuban national team.
