Troy Johnston persevering after challenging winter

JUPITER, FL—Troy Johnston was up early on Monday morning. All players in Marlins camp were scheduled to take their spring training physicals and Johnston had the earliest appointment. He arrived at Marlins camp at 5:30 AM.

“They pulled a fast one on me,” he joked. “Someone had to be first.”

Johnston hit .307/.399/.549 with 20+ home runs and steals in 2023, at the end of which he was honored as the Marlins’ Minor League Player of the Year. The award is now part of a growing collection of accolades he has been receiving in his pro career.

“My parents are awesome and they have, I don’t want to call it a shrine, but they have a shelf that I have most of my awards on,” Johnston said. “It’s right next to/in front of my 2022 Blue Wahoos’ Player of the Year award.”

Success aside—these past two seasons especially—Johnston was the first in line for physicals because later times conveniently go to members of the Marlins’ 40-man roster. Johnston is somehow not one of them. This past winter, Johnston was exposed to the Rule 5 Draft for a second consecutive season. Surprisingly, none of the other MLB teams called his name at the Winter Meetings. He is back in Marlins’ camp this year once again as a non-roster invitee.

“It’s kind of heartbreaking,” Johnston said. “I had some mental things I had to work through. You’re kind of at a low point where it’s like, 'What else do I have to do? What more?' No one is giving you answers, that kind of stuff.”

To help him through what was a very challenging winter—which included working multiple jobs to make ends meet—Johnston sought some professional help from a mental skills coach and described the assistance he got as invaluable.

“He was talking about how we have to flip the script,” Johnston said. “You have another opportunity. You’ve set yourself up for a good opportunity. Take that opportunity and don’t squander it.”

On the field, despite not having faced live pitching yet, Johnston has been satisfied with how he showed up to camp and his initial output so far.

“I’m seeing the ball well, my timing is surprisingly better than I thought,” Johnston said when asked for his thoughts on camp so far. “I feel good, I feel healthy, and I feel happy.”

In lieu of what was a frustrating winter for the 26-year-old infielder, Johnston’s mindset this spring is to remain levelheaded and cash in on his most recent chance at his dream to become a big leaguer. While he is determined and wants to convince the Marlins he is ready for the majors as much as possible, he’s also staying true to himself.

“Yes, definitely both,” Johnston said. “I can only force their hand so much because parts of it are out of my control.”

In the meantime, Johnston is enjoying his second spring training experience so far and has been impressed with the presence in the clubhouse early on. Although full squad report day is not until Tuesday, much of the spring training cavalcade has been present since pitchers and catchers have reported.

“Vibes are high. Everybody is really excited to be here,” Johnston said. “Of course this was the first full team practice, but when we were here early a couple days, it pretty much seemed like a full team practice already. They haven’t started making cuts so nobody is really getting nervous. They’re just excited to be here.”

Johnston is expected to see time at first base during spring training games, which begin this coming Saturday.

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