Doug Padilla, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

No longer teammates, Johnson-Semien bond remains tight

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Micah Johnson did not get a chance to play Saturday in front of one of his biggest fans.

Johnson had the day off with the Oakland Athletics paying a visit to Camelback Ranch, depriving the Chicago White Sox second base hopeful the opportunity to play opposite former teammate Marcus Semien.

For anybody who wants to hear how good Johnson can be one day, Semien will sing his buddy’s praises.

“Yeah, I’ve been checking him out and it looks like he’s been doing great,” Semien said after playing five innings against the White Sox. “Everybody is saying he’s doing great. I’m excited for him. He’s one of my best friends in that organization. I’m really pulling for all those guys, but especially a guy like Micah who is a young guy, middle infielder.”

The Johnson-Semien bond stretches farther than the similarities of being White Sox middle-infield draft picks. The two have been known to make daily contact with each other, even during the offseason. In fact, when Semien heard he had been traded this winter, Johnson happened to be the first one he told.

“We were playing video games this offseason, just talking on the headset, and I had to pause the game because he got a call,” Johnson said. “He came back and said he got traded. To him it was nothing. He just kept playing the video game like it was no big deal.”

When Semien was sent back to Triple-A last season, he played a significant amount of shortstop with Johnson as his double-play partner. This year it looks like their major league careers are ready to take off, only not together.

“It would have been great if it would have worked out that way [to play together], that would have been awesome,” Semien said. “We are still young in our career so we could meet again sometime. I’m just looking forward to playing against all those guys.”

Despite not having his favorite sounding board nearby, Johnson has been able to close in on the starting second base job with the White Sox. The only reason he wouldn’t be the White Sox’s starting second baseman on Opening Day is if the club thinks his defense still needs more work.

Semien could have lent an assist to Johnson in that department, just by listening.

“We always talked about stuff; it’s great,” Johnson said. “He’s a great guy to bounce ideas off of.”

Semien might be across the country now, but he is only a phone call away, or perhaps an online video game session away.

“Yeah, it kind of sucks because I enjoyed playing with the guy,” Johnson said. “But he’s back home and is playing shortstop for his hometown team.”

In a way, Semien and Johnson prepared themselves for the scenario that unfolded over the winter, and that, more than anything, could have been why Semien hardly seemed surprised.

“We knew anything was possible,” Semien said. “Talking with Micah and some of the other middle infielders, we knew we had a lot of capable guys who could play at the big league level and that the White Sox needed some right-handed arms. It just happened to be me and now I’m just excited have the opportunity [with the A’s], especially being able to come home to Oakland.”

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