With the Braves spring training schedule in full swing, Atlanta has plenty of middle infielders on the pre-season roster. Along with Johan Camargo, second baseman Micah Johnson is likely among the least known roster player to Braves fans going into 2017.
Selected in the ninth round by the Chicago White Sox in the 2012 MLB Draft, Atlanta Braves infielder Micah Johnson played at every level in the minors before making his big league debut in April of 2015.
A career .292/.357/.414 in the minor leagues, Johnson saw considerable action in 2015 with Chicago, batting .230/.306/.270 in 36 games (100 at-bats).
[ Note: see below for an update… this was originally written about 4 weeks ago, but held until now. ]
The following off-season saw Johnson sent to Los Angeles, along with two other players that December, and in 2016 he spent most of his time in the Dodgers organization at triple-A Oklahoma City, only appearing in seven big league games.
The Braves acquired Johnson in a trade with the Dodgers back in January of this year, and he’s spent most of spring training on the team’s active infield roster.
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Johnson has a stellar record of offensive productivity in extensive spring training play through his professional career with a lifetime pre-season batting average and on-base percentage both well over .300, and an OPS over .800. As we know, however, those numbers don’t always translate with the big club in the regular season.
Johnson throws right, but bats left, adding a little more variety to Atlanta lineup from an offensive standpoint. In the field, he can be considered a utility player with some versatility.
At the plate, Johnson has shown a history of best performing when he gets a considerable amount of consistent playing time, but tends to do poorly in small, limited samples of play.
In his early minor league career, Johnson stole a good number of bases, and has always shown good speed on the bases. Last season at Oklahoma City, Johnson stole 26 bases, and he’s snagged as many as 84 in a combined minor league season.
In terms of his glove, the 26-year-old isn’t really what you’d call a premier fielder, but has a .978 fielding percentage in limited MLB play, and a lifetime .975 average in his minors career. He has been charged with 78 errors through 420 farm system games.
With such a small big league sample of play to draw from, and stiff competition among Braves middle infielders, it’s tough to say where a player like Micah Johnson will end up once the season starts. Being a left-handed hitting utility player certainly helps his case to see action in Atlanta this season, however.
Atlanta fans can probably expect to see a player like Johnson bounce between triple-A Gwinnett and the big league club throughout the season, barring any big trades or unexpected roster moves involving infielders.
His versatility and previous experience makes Johnson an asset in the clubhouse, and as a roster option throughout the season.
Next: 2017 Braves Season Preview: Dansby Swanson
[ Editor’s note: Johnson has been sidelined with a broken wrist, but otherwise probably would have made the Opening Day roster. Fans should keep him in mind for a possible return in early Summer. ]