A native of Puyallup, Wash., Johnston finished the season leading all of Minor League Baseball in RBIs (116) while ranking tied for third in extra-base hits (67), ninth in hits (157), tied for 10th in runs (102), 13th in OPS (.948), tied for 15th in doubles (36) and 18th in slugging percentage (.549).
Over 134 games between Jacksonville and Double-Pensacola, Johnston slashed .307/.399/.549/.948 with 26 home runs and 24 stolen bases, becoming the first Marlins minor leaguer since 2008 to post a season with at least 20 homers and 20 steals.
Upon earning a promotion on July 25 to the Jumbo Shrimp, Johnston put together a 31-game on-base streak – the longest for a Jacksonville hitter since at least 2010 and tied for the eighth-best in the International League in 2023. Over the streak, which ended on September 1 and spanned his first 31 Triple-A games this season, Johnston hit .372/.442/.620/1.062 with 10 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 27 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Miami’s 17th round pick out of Gonzaga University (Spokane, Wash.) in 2019, Johnston spent that summer with Short Season Class A Batavia, batting .277/.373/.399/.772 in 59 contests. Following the pandemic, he split the 2021 campaign with Low-A Jupiter and High-A Beloit, posting a combined .300/.399/.468/.867 batting line in 120 games. Johnston hit .261/.344/.423/.767 with 25 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and four stolen bases between Jacksonville and Pensacola in 2022.
Johnston joins outfielders Peyton Burdick (2021) and Austin Dean (2018) as recent Jacksonville players to earn the Marlins’ Minor League Player of the Year honors. Johnston, who played in 51 games with the Jumbo Shrimp, is the first player to register at least 30 games in a season with Jacksonville and earn the organization’s Player of the Year award since third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson in 2016.