2016 Dodgers in Review: 2B/OF Micah Johnson

PA AVG OBP SLG wRC+ HR WAR
MiLB (OKC) 516 .261 .321 .356 82 5 N/A
MLB (LA) 6 .167 .167 .167 -14 0 -0.1

What happened in 2016: Acquired from the White Sox in a 3-way deal, spent almost the entire season with OKC.

If Micah Johnson were acquired in the previous offseason, he would have been considered the centerpiece of the deal. He was once a Top 5 prospect in the White Sox system, but fell after injury issues and under-performance.

Johnson was blocked at second base by Chase Utley, Howie Kendrick and even Enrique Hernandez in 2016 — and righftfully so. Utley and Kendrick were proven veteran presents and Hernandez was coming off a really good 2015 season. Johnson was acquired to be depth and to be a full-timer for the OKC Dodgers. He played some outfield (left and center field), and his future might be as a Skip Schumaker-type of utility player — if he gets a chance to play.

But even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Johnson struggled to produce. For comparison’s sake, he had a 145 wRC+ in the International League in 2015 but posted just an 82 wRC+ this season. Johnson did appear in seven games for the big league team — mostly as a pinch-hitter (five times). It was, on the whole, a forgettable year for him.

2017 status: A trade candidate, though he doesn’t have a lot of value. He should expect to spend his age-26 mostly with the OKC Dodgers.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.