Micah Johnson (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Micah Johnson |
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Johnson with the Chicago White Sox
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| Second baseman | |||
| Born: December 18, 1990 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 6, 2015, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 2017, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .224 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 4 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Micah Drew Johnson (born December 18, 1990) is an American who used to play professional baseball. He was a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves. After his baseball career, Micah became a successful artist.
Contents
Playing Baseball
College Baseball Days
Micah Johnson went to Park Tudor School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He then studied at Indiana University Bloomington. While there, he played college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers baseball team. In 2011, he also played summer baseball for a team called the Cotuit Kettleers.
Starting in the Pros: Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox picked Micah in the ninth round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. This meant they wanted him to play for their team. He started his professional career in 2012 with a team called the Great Falls Voyagers. This was a "rookie level" team, the first step in pro baseball.
In 2012, he hit the ball well, with a batting average of .273. He also had 10 doubles, five triples, four home runs, and 25 runs batted in (RBIs). He was also very fast, stealing 19 bases!
In 2013, Micah moved up to the Kannapolis Intimidators. This was a "Class A" team. He played even better there, hitting .342. He got 17 doubles, 11 triples, six home runs, and 42 RBIs. He was super fast, stealing 61 bases! Because he played so well, he was moved up again. He played for the Winston-Salem Dash (Class A-Advanced) and then the Birmingham Barons (Class AA). By the end of 2013, he had stolen 84 bases across all the teams he played for!
In 2014, Micah started with Birmingham. He was promoted to the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA) in May. This is just one step below the Major Leagues! His season ended early because of an injury to his left leg.
In 2015, Micah made it to the big leagues! He earned a spot on the White Sox team for opening day. He played second base and got his first major league hit.
Moving Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves
In December 2015, Micah was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. A trade means players switch teams. He played for the Triple-A team, the Oklahoma City Dodgers. He also played in seven games for the main Dodgers team.
In January 2017, Micah was traded again, this time to the Atlanta Braves. While playing in a practice game, he broke his wrist. After surgery and getting better, he played for the Gwinnett Braves. Then, he was called up to play for the main Atlanta Braves team in July.
After playing for the Braves, Micah was claimed by a few other teams. He ended up playing for the Triple-A team of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Durham Bulls, in 2018. After that season, he decided to become a free agent.
Becoming an Artist
After the 2018 baseball season, Micah decided to stop playing baseball. He wanted to focus on his art! He had only started art as a hobby three years before.
Micah opened an art studio in New Hampshire. He creates physical artwork on canvas. He also started making art using a new digital method called NFTs. NFTs are like unique digital artworks that you can own. In 2020, he sold several NFTs. One of his pieces sold for about $940! His art often shows Black children in a way that inspires and encourages them.
The sä-v(ə-)rən-tē: Project
Micah worked with a special art platform to create a new piece called sä-v(ə-)rən-tē:. He showed it on October 28, 2020. The idea for this artwork came from his 4-year-old nephew. His nephew asked his mom, "Can astronauts be Black?"
Micah wanted to create art that would empower young Black people. The artwork shows two boys on one side of a door. An astronaut is on the other side. Every year on the boys' birthdays, a QR code appears over the art. This code asks for Bitcoin donations. The door in the artwork opens a little more each year. This will happen for eleven years, until the boys are 18 years old.
When the boys turn 18, they will be face-to-face with the astronaut in the art. This means they are becoming adults. It symbolizes that they can now follow their dreams. The donations from viewers help give them more options for their future.
'sä-v(ə-)rən-tē: was sold on October 29, 2020. It was bought for $117,278! At that time, it was the second most expensive NFT art piece ever sold.
Micah's Life
While playing baseball in 2014, Micah took online classes. He finished his degree from Indiana University. Besides baseball, he is also a talented artist. He shares many of his artworks on his Instagram page. He plans to go to law school after his playing career. His goal is to become a general manager for an MLB team.
