Academy Notebook: Coach spotlight: Dash Johnson; Youth Academy 18U fall programming

Coach spotlight: Dash Johnson

As a former MLB Youth Academy athlete, coach Dash Johnson uses his experience playing for the Houston Astros Academy as motivation to coach the young kids he interacts with daily. Johnson credits his time at the Astros Academy for inspiring him to become a coach and train the next generation of athletes at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy.

“I wanted to give back,” he said. “I played in Houston, so I knew all about [the Rangers Youth Academy]. I love baseball, and I love giving back to the kids, so I applied, and look [where] we're at now, more than three years later.”

A recent graduate from Northwestern Oklahoma State where he played college baseball, Johnson has spent his entire life around the sport. Before starting his journey as a coach and college athlete, Johnson was a prominent member of the Houston Astros MLB RBI World Series-winning baseball team and partook in activities off the field, landing him the $20,000 MLB RBI for RBI college scholarship.

Johnson knows what it takes to be a well-rounded athlete and how to get the most out of Youth Academy programming. Now, as he holds this leadership role, he pulls inspiration from one of his most influential mentors, who happened to be his coach at the Houston Astros Youth Academy.

“I had a coach, Brian White, who took me in and showed me how to bring my game to a different level, but he also showed me what it's like to be a man, be a good man, be a good person,” he said. “Baseball teaches you more than just baseball. It teaches you so many lessons. It's a game of failure, and we fail every day, and he taught me how to overcome failure and deal with adversity.”

Dash knows the importance of using his position as a coach and mentor to teach more than just the fundamentals of the game. “Baseball it's not cheap,” he said. “The Academy is in an underprivileged area, and it's given kids the chance to play baseball, which is not easy, but I really like this opportunity because being a minority and being able to show minority kids that you can still play baseball, it's expensive, it's hard, but you can do this.

“I feel like that's kind of my role while I’m here and why I want to be here, to show them that they can do it. It is possible.”

Some of his favorite moments on the job are being that key piece in a player’s journey from beginner to power hitter. “I love seeing that excitement of them reaching that next step and knowing that you had an impact to help them get there.”

In moments like this, during training programs, or coaching the Rangers RBI junior baseball team, Dash prioritizes making connections and building relationships with the athletes.

“Building those relationships means the world to them,” he said. “It's important, I feel, to be a mentor to some of the kids. They really do look up to coaches. We may not notice it, but they definitely do, just like we did when we were kids.”

Teaching the fundamentals of the game, creating lasting connections, providing a safe space away from home, imparting wisdom on how to grow off the field— to Dash Johnson, this job is so much more than a baseball coach.

Texas Rangers Youth Academy 18U fall programming

On Tuesday, Oct. 19, the Texas Rangers 18U fall programming session will begin. Over the next month, around 200 high school athletes from the area will meet multiple times a week to train at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy at the Mercy Street Sports Complex, presented by Toyota. Participants will be designated into training groups for specialized coaching based on age and skill level, ranging from beginner to advanced, as assessed by Rangers Youth Academy coaches and staff.

Fall programming will offer athletes an opportunity to work on their skills and improve their game before the high school baseball and softball seasons start in the spring. This year, the 18U training session was separated from the 12U and 9U training sessions to allow for more hands-on training and dedicated attention to the older athletes.

A large collection of the Texas Rangers Youth Academy’s top coaches, including Johnson, will be on hand to assist in any and every area of the game, from tweaks on a swing to perfecting the flip on a double play.

The 18U Baseball and softball programming will officially begin Tuesday, Oct. 19, and conclude Thursday, Nov. 18. All athletes ages 13-18 can register for the 18U Fall Programming session at no cost at texasrangersya.leagueapps.com/camps.