Johnson wastes little time making positive impression
Micah Johnson is off and running.
In Tuesday's White Sox intrasquad game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., Johnson took his first step forward as he tries winning the starting job at second base.
Johnson, 24, was 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored and 2 stolen bases.
It was only an intrasquad game, but Johnson figures to win the starting job if he stays healthy.
“When you see him on the field, you're drawn to him,” manager Robin Ventura told reporters. “He makes a lot of stuff happen.”
Johnson first appeared on the Sox' radar in 2013, when he stole a combined 84 bases while batting .312 with Class A Kannapolis, A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham.
Slowed by a sore hamstring for much of last season, Johnson batted .294 and stole 22 bases in 102 games with Birmingham and AAA Charlotte.
Johnson was positioned to get a September call-up from the White Sox, but he tweaked his hamstring in August and was shut down for the rest of the season.
Over the winter, the Indianapolis native started doing yoga and worked in the swimming pool to help keep his legs healthy.
Johnson and Carlos Sanchez are the top two candidates to start at second base for the Sox this season, but Gordon Beckham and Emilio Bonifacio are also in the mix.
“It's an opportunity that has been presented to you and it's definitely a blessing,” Johnson said during the first week of spring training. “A lot of people don't have this opportunity, so I don't take it for granted that I can go out each day and work hard for this chance.
“Just let it all play out. It usually does, you guys know that. Something always pans out in sports. It's like, it's a big spring, but I want to be ready wherever I go.”
Johnson has little doubt he'll be going with the White Sox at the end of training camp.
“I think I'm a pretty confident person,” he said. “You have to be in this game, a game of failure. You have to be confident but not arrogant. If you become arrogant, that's when you lose your edge to work hard. There are always people behind you and people in front of you. So it's like you have to focus on yourself and keep working hard.”
Jeff Samardzija was one of the Sox' starters in the intrasquad game, and he allowed 2 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings.
Other intrasquad highlights were third baseman Conor Gillaspie hitting a pair of triples, minor-league shortstop Tim Anderson going 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and minor-league outfielder Trayce Thompson hitting a home run and single.