Eastern Arizona Courier

June 14, 2007

Johnson baseball dreams come true
Leon Johnson is drafted to Chicago Cubs; Cedric is picked by the Philadelphia Phillies

By Brian Wright

The joy and excitement could barely be contained at the Johnson household Friday, and for good reason — Leon, 22, and Cedric, 18, were drafted by Major League Baseball teams.

Leon, who just finished his sophomore year at Brigham Young University (he already served a two-year LDS mission), was drafted in the 10th round by the Chicago Cubs.

It was a dream come true for a lifelong Cubs fan. Leon and Cedric have made countless trips to Wrigley Field in the summer because their father, Robert, lives near Chicago.

The Johnsons, who live in Thatcher, were gathered around the computer at 8:30 Friday morning anxiously watching the draft unfold.

Leon was told by scouts that he would be drafted somewhere between the sixth and 10th rounds in the draft.

He had already been drafted three years in a row by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and they were in the mix again to draft Leon this year.

The Devil Rays and Cubs had shown the most interest, so he was expecting to be drafted by one of the two teams.

The sixth, seventh and eighth rounds went by with no action, and Leon started getting a bit nervous. Mother Julie Johnson admitted she was more nervous than her son.

Leon got a call from the Cubs in the ninth round, and they asked him if he would sign for a given amount of money. Leon agreed to the terms over the phone and thought he would be drafted in the ninth round.

The Cubs chose outfielder Clark Hardman from Cal State Fullerton in the ninth round.

Leon was talking on the phone with older brother Elliot (who plays in the Devil Rays organization) when the 10th round started.

Elliot was watching his computer screen and exclaimed, “There you are!”

Apparently, his computer was moving slightly faster than the one the rest of the Johnsons were watching.

Leon was selected with the third pick (No. 307 overall) in the 10th round by the Chicago Cubs.

Steve McFarland, the southwest area scout for the Cubs, called shortly after to inform Leon of the Cubs’ pick.

Leon told a story about how he caught a foul ball in the upper deck at Wrigley Field years ago and legendary Cubs broadcaster Harry Carey waved to him.

“It was a good catch,” Leon said.

Cedric’s status was less certain because he has had two surgeries on his ACL in the last two years.

He didn’t get a chance to play center field at Thatcher this year because he was still recovering from the last surgery.

Cedric was limited to a designated hitter role, and he pitched a few innings in relief for the Eagles.

Scouts still came out to watch him, and many were convinced his speed would return.

Cedric’s ability with the bat was never in question, and now he is running around playing center field for the Anaheim Angels’ summer scout team.

The southwest scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, Therron Brockish, let Cedric know the Phillies were very interested in drafting him.

Cedric wanted to be drafted in the fifth round and said he probably wouldn’t sign with a team if he was picked later than the fifth.

A lot of major league teams’ doctors told Cedric they had concerns about his knee, which hurt his draft position.

After the fifth round came and went without a call, Cedric thought he wouldn’t be picked until the rounds got into the forties (there are 50 rounds total).

He was surprised to get a call from the Phillies in the 19th round saying they had just drafted him.

“The Phillies took me!” Cedric shouted. Everyone had dispersed from the computer because they didn’t expect him to get picked until much later in the draft. No one was around to hear his exclamation.

Leon had not yet worked out a contract with Chicago, but he was confident it would get a deal done soon. He had been waiting to play for the Cubs his whole life.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be a Cub. I’ve always been a Cubs fan.”

Cedric will wait and see how he plays with the scout team this summer, and then he will evaluate whether or not he will sign with the Phillies or head to BYU for his freshman year.

Regardless of what he decides, getting the call Friday was still a thrill for the class of 2007 Thatcher High School graduate.

“It’s not every day you get drafted,” he said.

“(I’m) definitely excited. I think our mom is more excited than we are.”

He said it would be great to have an opportunity to play in the Phillies organization.

At a recent workout for a Cubs representative, Leon told the rep, “I’ve wanted to take the Cubs to the (World) Series my whole life. Make me a Cub.”

At a modest house on College Avenue in Thatcher on Friday, there was proof that in some areas of the world, dreams still do come true.