Michael Kohn predicted he’d play for the Braves at age 10
As children, we’re often encouraged to dream big and work hard to make those big dreams come true. Of course, as life goes along, sometimes those dreams change or life leads us in a new direction. but for Michael Kohn, a native of Charleston, SC and a lifelong Braves fan, his path has taken him right where he always wanted to be.
We have proof of that too, because MLB.com’s Mark Bowman posted a mission statement on Twitter that the now 28-year-old reliever wrote as a contract to his parents when he was only 10.
As presented, the message reads:
The life I imagine.
I Michael Thomas Kohn will make pro baseball for the Altanta (sic) Braves and make all my goal. Shortstop. Bat third.
Kohn has a real shot to see that dream through, though it won’t be exactly as he envisioned. He won’t be playing shortstop. Barring a mid-game double switch, batting third is out of the question as well. But the most important thing is there’s no guarantee he ever wears the Braves uniform in a meaningful game at all. He was inked to a minor league deal, meaning he’ll have to show well enough to knock another name off Atlanta’s 40-man roster.
Still, he’s plenty motivated coming off a four-year stint with the Los Angeles Angels. In 126 games, he posted a 3.67 ERA over 110.1 innings, and even notched a pair of saves. Overall though he wasn’t thrust into too many critical situations, which is something he’ll aim to change in Atlanta.
As Bowman writes, there’s another interesting twist to this story that led Kohn to slightly altering his mission statement as a teenager.
A few years later, Kohn got Derek Jeter‘s book “The Life You Imagine” and quickly grew excited about the fact that he shares the same birth date as the former Yankees shortstop. When he learned that Jeter had also written a contract to his parents, Kohn found his contract and topped it with the title of this book.
“The day after I got the book, I think I went to school the next day and told everybody, ‘Me and Derek Jeter are shortstops and we were born on June 26 and I’m going to bat third in front of Chipper Jones.”
It’s amazing the number of different ways Derek Jeter has been able to connect with the next generation of ballplayers. Through his play or through his words, he’s been a go-to guy for players seeking that extra bit of motivation. If we’re smart, we’ll make sure that trend continues for generations to come.
BLS H/N: Cut 4
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
