An original Devil Ray, John and Fred McGriff were the only two players to start Tampa Bay's first four season openers. After beginning 2001 as the team's regular catcher, John didn't see much action during the second half because of the emergence of Toby Hall. John started 38 of the Devil Rays' first 48 games, but only 31 of the remaining 114. He didn't play at all after September 2 because of a herniated disc in his neck. Things were much better for John in 2001 when he tied for second among American League catchers with a .993 fielding percentage. He also gunned down 25.5 percent of would-be base-stealers (27 of 106), which placed him fifth in the junior circuit. John hit 10 homers, drove in 39 runs and finished with a .261 batting average after hitting a team-high .348 in April.

John played for the Boston Red Sox (1992-93), Detroit Tigers (1994-96) and San Diego Padres (1996-97) before joining the expansion Rays in 1998. After being traded from Detroit to San Diego in 1996, he soon embarked on a 27-game hitting streak. It was the second longest ever by a major-league catcher and the second longest by a Padre. Benito Santiago holds both marks, hitting in 34 consecutive games with San Diego in 1987. John had his best offensive season in 1999 when he posted career highs in homers (14) and RBI (71) to go with a .278 average.