Fast-rising Marlins prospect on a tear at the plate. Plus other minor-league updates
Troy Johnston seemingly can’t be stopped at the plate.
The first baseman, ranked as the No. 25 overall prospect in the Miami Marlins’ organization by MLB Pipeline, is on an extended tear for the Double A Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
He has hits in 18 of his last 19 games, dating back to May 8. He has a .430 batting average (34 for 79) with four home runs, seven doubles, one triple, 19 RBI and 17 runs in that span.
This stretch also includes a current run of multiple hits in nine of Johnston’s past 11 games, including three three-hit games and two four-hit outings.
He capped this week by being involved in three consecutive ninth-inning rallies that resulted in walk-off wins.
Johnston, a left-handed hitter, hit a walk-off single in the Blue Wahoos’ 9-8 win over the Biloxi Shuckers on Friday. He had a multi-home run game on Saturday, including a game-tying, two-run home run in the ninth inning to set up an 8-7 win. And he reached on a fielding error to lead off a wild ninth inning on Sunday that saw Pensacola score three runs without a hit. Griffin Conine followed Johnston with a walk before Biloxi pitcher Harold Chirino hit four consecutive batters to force in three runs for a 7-6 Pensacola win.
On the season, Johnston has a .312 batting average with five home runs, nine doubles, one triple, 26 RBI and 26 runs scored.
“When things are clicking and things are going well,” Johnston said, “ride the wave for as long as you can.”
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These stretches of dominant offense aren’t new for Johnston, who the Marlins selected in the 17th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Gonzaga. During his breakout 2021 season, Johnston had an 11-game run with the Single A Jupiter Hammerheads in May during which he hit .444 and had a 16-game hit streak in June during which he hit .403 shortly after his promotion to High A Beloit. That included a June 19 outing in which he hit for the cycle. He also had a four home run week in August last season.
“When I get hot, home runs tend to multiply for me,” Johnston said. “They just come in bunches. When they’re not coming, they’re not coming. But when they’re coming, they’re coming all at once. I like stretches like this.”
Johnston posted a .300 batting average overall that season, his first with full-season minor-league affiliates after spending 2019 with the short-season Class A Batavia Muckdogs and there being no minor-league season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then followed that up with a strong showing at the Arizona Fall League, hitting .296 with three doubles, 11 RBI and 15 runs scored over 18 games.
“Troy’s a professional hitter,” Geoff Degroot, the Marlins’ director of minor league operations, said in March. “He’s a guy that’s got a combination of hit ability and power, which is something that’s pretty hard to find in today’s game.”
And Johnston’s breakout in 2021 came while he was re-acclimated to a new position. The Marlins converted Johnston from outfielder to first base during spring. Johnston played some first base in high school but was solely an outfielder during his three seasons at Gonzaga and his first year in the Marlins organization. He played 110 of 120 games last season and 39 of 44 games this season at first base.
“He put a ton of work into the defensive side of the ball as well,” Degroot said. “I really think it speaks to his ability as a hitter because I know how hard he was working on his defense. It wasn’t like he was just living in the cage all the time. Troy has done a great job. He’s turned himself into a into a good defender at first base.”
More notables
▪ Staying on the topic of first basemen, Lewin Diaz hit three more home runs last week for the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to go along with eight RBI, a double and five runs scored while hitting .370 (10 for 27) and a 1.134 OPS. Diaz now has 12 home runs with the Jumbo Shrimp this season, tied for the ninth-most in all of Triple A.
▪ JJ Bleday hit his 10th home run of the season for Triple A Jacksonville on Saturday as part of a three-hit day.
▪ Your weekly Eury Perez update: He struck out six while allowing two earned runs on a pair of solo home runs over four innings on Wednesday. Through eight Double A starts, Perez has a 3.79 ERA and 56 strikeouts against nine walks in 38 innings of work.
▪ It was a good week at the plate for Beloit hitters, with seven regulars all hitting above .300 as the Sky Carp went 5-1. Ynmanol Marinez, who the Marlins signed as an international free agent in 2017, led the way with a .385 average, two home runs and six runs scored. Fellow infielder Cody Morissette was close behind, hitting .350 with three doubles, one home run and six runs scored. Catcher Will Banfield (.333 average, six RBI, seven runs), shortstop Nasim Nunez (.333 average, four runs), infielder/outfielder Dalvy Rosario (.333 average, six RBI), first baseman Marcus Chiu (.318 average, four RBI, four runs) and catcher/designated hitter Bennett Hostelter (.300 average, six RBI) round out the group.
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 10:42 AM.
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