Johnson drafted by White Sox, Martin by Cubs

From college baseball in Btown to a chance to one day play professionally in the Windy City, Micah Johnson and Chad Martin have been selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by Chicago’s crosstown baseball rivals.

Johnson, a junior second baseman, will replace his cream and crimson colors with the black and white of the Chicago White Sox, as they have selected him in the ninth round as the 291st overall pick.

“This is a step in my overall dreams to play in the Major Leagues,” Johnson said. “The vice president (of the White Sox) called my agent and said they were going to take me. I am going to sign early ... so I can get out there and play for them.”

After competing in the Cape Cod League  last summer, Johnson returned to start his junior campaign with soreness in his right elbow. The soreness led to surgery March 7, causing him to miss nearly two months of the regular season. He appeared in just 24 games in 2012, hitting .212 with one home run and 10 RBI. He was 7-for-9 in stolen bases and scored 14 runs.

During his freshman season in 2010, Johnson hit .312  and had his best year from a power standpoint, slugging 11 homeruns and driving in 42 . He struggled at third base, though, posting a .909 fielding percentage and committing a career-high 17 errors.

In 2011, Johnson moved to second, where he drastically improved his defense. He raised his fielding percentage to .954, 45 points higher than his 2010 percentage. He also committed five fewer errors than during the previous season.

Despite a decline in his power numbers, Johnson saw his numbers improve in several other offensive categories during the 2011 season. He raised his batting average by 23 points to .335, while his on-base percentage rose to .402 from .366 in 2010. Speed also became more prevalent for Johnson, as he swiped 19 bases in 22 attempts. His performance earned him a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team.

An Indianapolis native and Park Tudor High School graduate,  Johnson was named a third team preseason All-American for 2012. During his three seasons at IU, in 133 games he combined for a .308 batting average, 15 home runs, 86 RBI and 32 stolen bases in 40 attempts.

“I want to thank everyone all my friends especially family mom and dad sisters girlfriend dog coaches everyone!!,” Johnson said via Twitter.

Chad Martin was taken 23 picks after Johnson became a south-sider, by the north-side Chicago Cubs. They used their 10th-round pick (314th overall) on the senior right-hander.

“I was ecstatic,” Martin said. “It is something that every college baseball players works towards. To be drafted in the top 10 rounds was my goal at the beginning of the year. It’s just awesome. It’s everything I could ask for.”

After spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at Vincennes University, Martin transferred to IU for the final two seasons of his collegiate career.

“I worked my tail off in junior college and (IU) Coach (Ty) Neal came to see me ... invited me up to Bloomington,” Martin said. “I absolutely loved the campus, it was unbelievable. The coaches were not telling me what I wanted to hear, they were being realistic.”

While at IU, Martin had a record of 4-8 with a 4.08 ERA. He pitched in 139 innings through 36 appearances, 17 of which were starts.

“His arm worked well, his fastball was low-to-mid 90s and the makings of a breaking ball,” said Stan Zielinski, area scout from the Chicago Cubs. “He is a big, strong kid that throws hard with a good delivery, and you have to take a chance on a kid like that.”

The Cubs and White Sox have become familiar with Hoosier baseball players, as both organizations have now drafted seven IU players all-time, with the Sox having picked three IU players since 2009: Ethan Wilson and Michael Early in 2010, and Josh Phegley in 2009.

Martin is the first Hoosier to be picked by the Cubs since 1995, when the north-siders took Brian Greene in the 26th round.

IU Head Coach Tracy Smith has mentored 17 Hoosier players that have been drafted to the MLB, including this year’s selections.