Mission prepared pro baseball player for the mound

Going

from the outfield to the pitcher's mound doesn't quite compare with

going from Thatcher, Ariz., to Siberia. But for Leon Johnson, both

constitute major life journeys.

 

The former Brigham Young University outfielder is just hoping his

current venture proves as beneficial as the one that took him from

playing baseball in the Arizona desert to unsuccessfully attempting to

toss a ball in the frigid climate of the Russia Novosibirsk mission.

 

"Trying to play catch on ice doesn't really work that well," said

Johnson of his brief baseball experience while serving a mission for

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2005-06. "That was

about the extent of my baseball."

 

But just last week, throwing became Johnson's primary focus when the

former 10th-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs was converted from

outfielder to left-handed pitcher. Johnson left the Peoria Chiefs, the

Cubs' Single-A affiliate, on June 7 and reported to extended spring

training to begin the transition.

 

The move is surprising on two different levels, the first being that

Johnson was a high draft pick in 2007 due to the speed and defensive

ability he displayed during his sophomore season at BYU. And second,

Johnson is not left-handed.

 

Growing up in a baseball-playing family (his older brother Elliot