SCRAPPERS From one field to another

After flirting with football, Eric Johnson is back with Mahoning Valley.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BATAVIA, N.Y. -- Eric Johnson couldn't continue his professional baseball career without knowing one thing.
Could he play professional football?
After being selected in the third round of the 1999 amateur baseball draft, Johnson spent three seasons in the Cleveland Indians organization. Then he made a decision.
"After that third season, I wanted to try football," said Johnson, 25, an outfielder with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. "I was an All-American in college, and I wanted to see what it would be like, what the transition would be like" to football.
Johnson, a two-sport standout at Western Carolina University, got that chance after a signing a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears and sitting out the entire 2002 baseball season.
In faith's direction
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Johnson, a native of Shallotte, N.C., was a safety in the Bears' organization. He was a member of the practice squad and participated in the team's training camp.
But a hamstring injury set Johnson back and slowed his progress in the NFL. He spent about six weeks recovering from the injury.
"When I came back, I thought I would get called up and play in a few games, but it never happened," Johnson said.
Johnson's athletic career has been guided by faith. He never really favored one sport over the other. Instead, he wanted the answers to come from above.
"I didn't know which sport I wanted to choose," Johnson said. "I let faith decide. God has a plan for me, and I have to figure that out."
Johnson knew that pursuing his NFL dreams may have jeopardized his career with the Indians, but he felt confident in his decision, knowing there would be consequences. He had to take that risk.
"They [the Indians] had to choose what they wanted to do with me," he said. "All I can do is ask for a chance to come back and play. The Indians have been very cooperative and patient with me."
A Scrapper again
Cleveland took Johnson back and assigned him to Mahoning Valley. He had been with the Scrappers during part of their inaugural 1999 season, playing in 28 games and batting .257.
"A lot of fans come out and it gets you pumped up and makes you want to do better," he said of his Mahoning Valley memories. "But whether you have a crowd or not, I have to go out there and do my job."
After appearing with the Scrappers in 1999, Johnson was promoted in the next two seasons to Class A full-seasons Columbus (Ga.) and Kinston (N.C.). In 2000, he was ranked by Baseball America as having the best outfield arm in the Indians' organization.
Adapting his skills
Johnson also has speed, which makes him an annoyance to opponents trying to track his location on the basepaths. Football seems to have sharpened those same skills required in baseball.
"In football, you explode on that first step," Johnson said. "Just being there as a defensive back, reading the balls in the air and going to that angle, helps out a whole lot" in baseball.
Johnson remains in a transitional phase while with the Scrappers. He is in the process of shifting modes again -- from football to baseball.
The best method of success, Johnson said, is to have fun.
"Just being able to play every day is the main thing," he said. "I'm trying to get back into game-type situations and back into the routine of playing baseball."
richesson@vindy.com