This coming spring is a big opportunity for White Sox prospect Micah Johnson. Johnson will be in the mix for the team's second base job and will compete against the likes of Carlos Sanchez and Emilio Bonifacio in camp after putting up a .366 OBP in 302 career minor league games.
Johnson is already looking well beyond this coming spring training, however. He told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he has his eyes set on becoming a GM once his playing career is over.
"Coaching and being a manager is cool, but every day is a new challenge when you are a general manager," Johnson said. "Every day is a new puzzle, putting together pieces to help a team win.
"When you do win, it's a huge reward. The challenge of it, everything that goes into it, it's something different every day."
Johnson, a ninth round pick out of Indiana in 2012, took classes online last year to finish his degree. He'll graduate with degrees in General Studies and Spanish, and a minor in Labor Studies. Law school is next. Once he stops playing baseball, of course.
The GM who is an ex-player is a dying breed, but there are still plenty of current GMs who played professionally, including Billy Beane, Jerry Dipoto, Dave Stewart, Doug Melvin, Terry Ryan, Ruben Amaro Jr., Jack Zduriencik and Mike Rizzo. Johnson wouldn't be out of place among his peers.
Last season the 24-year-old Johnson hit .294/.351/.403 with five home runs and 22 stolen bases in 102 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. Baseball America ranked him as the fourth best prospect in Chicago's system a few weeks ago and said he "stands out for his explosiveness and burst."
