Big League Bulldogs: Troy Johnston Turning Into Potential Building Block for Marlins
Gonzaga baseball isn’t exactly well-represented in MLB. Known for its basketball prowess, the university only boasts five active players at baseball’s highest level, with many of them being in the crease between the majors and Triple-A, without a firm footing on big-league soil.
But down in Miami, former Zag Troy Johnston has burst onto the scene, vying for a solidified role with the Marlins.
In Johnston’s first 101 plate appearances, he is slashing .277.330/.436 with four homers while driving in 13 runs. The 28-year old rookie has finally made his way to the majors, and so far, it looks like he belongs. Johnston had an uphill battle after being selected in the 17th round and 501st overall by Miami in the 2019 MLB Draft. As more players are drafted, the margin of error for them to perform as they make their way through the minor leagues dwindles. But as he showed in Spokane, Johnston can simply hit, and with opportunities available on a rebuilding Marlins franchise, he is making the most of his playing time.
In his three seasons as a Bulldog, Johnston had his share of ups and downs. He put together a strong freshman campaign, hitting .323 with an .875 OPS in 2017 across 35 games. But Johnston broke his hand during his sophomore year, which capped off a struggling season for him where he hit just .222. In his return to the diamond in 2019, Johnston was back and even better, as he started all 55 games for the Zags and hit .330 with 10 home runs. He posted a .610 slugging percentage as well, as his performance led to an All-WCC First Team selection.
In the Puyallup native’s transition to the pros, his production didn’t waver. Grinding through four minor league levels, Johnston never logged a true ‘down-season’. After playing well in his first season at the Single-A affiliates and even in the Arizona Fall League in the offseason of 2021, Johnston initially skipped Double-A as the organization promoted him to Triple-A Jacksonville. But the former Bulldog finally hit a wall, as he hit a ghastly .155 with the Jumbo Shrimp and was moved down a level for the next season’s worth of games to get back on track with his development.
Johnston responded well, as he began the 2023 season at Double-A with an eye-popping .963 OPS. When he was brought back up to Jacksonville in the middle of that season, he kept the train rolling, posting a .923 OPS this time around, a 300-point jump in that category from his last time at Triple-A.
The Marlins organization was in flux for a while. After making the postseason in back-to-back seasons in the shortened COVID year and in 2021, the franchise offloaded some significant pieces in the midst of a general manager change and the team’s manager stepping away after 2024. Miami wanted a rebuild, as it hadn’t adequately developed competent big-league hitters to supplement its riches of controllable starting pitching. This has led to a lack of regular season success and plenty of young players getting chances to prove themselves.
In his last season and a half at the last step before the big leagues, Johnston’s numbers plummeted to a more pedestrian mark, but he was still clearly knocking on the door as he earned an invite to major league Spring Training prior to the 2025 season. A couple of days before the Marlins traded starting outfielder Jesús Sánchez to the Houston Astros, Johnston got the call-up to the majors on July 29 to be a first baseman and corner outfielder for the team. At first, things didn’t go smoothly for him, putting up a putrid .391 OPS through 23 plate appearances.
But in 28 games since, Johnston has been on a heater, slashing .320/.378/.520 and earning more playing time as he continues to produce. His best game of his young career was on Sept. 13 against the Texas Rangers, where Johnston launched two homers and drove in three, including a walk-off two-run shot in the tenth inning that he watched at the plate before flipping his bat.
The name of the game is sustainability, and Johnston will have to consistently produce for a more extended period before his name can be etched in lineup cards routinely. But he hits the ball optimally, as his batted ball profile is filled with line drives and fly balls. His propensity to hit the ball in the air leads to a high floor when it comes to slugging, as well as pulling it in the air. Johnston has logged above-average clips in barrel and hard-hit rate as well, often squaring the ball up.
There is still room for improvement in his game, as Johnston isn’t exactly disciplined at the dish. He has alarming chase and whiff numbers, which can be exploited as pitchers get more of a book on Johnston and punish him if he continues to expand his zone. But a 112 wRC+ is nothing to sneeze at, and if he does manage to keep his production up, he can be the first Zag position player regular since Jason Bay.
Johnston might not be on National Baseball Hall of Fame ballots like Bay when he hangs up his cleats, but he has a chance to settle in as a big-leaguer for years to come, which is an accomplishment that not many Gonzaga baseball products can boast.
