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Inside Tory Johnston's Productive First Season With Rockies
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- Inside Tory Johnston's Productive First Season With Rockies
(© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
The Colorado Rockies were able to notch 15 more wins this season than they did in 2025, which saw them go a franchise-worst 43-119, and a big reason they were able to improve was because of the offense.
The Rockies finished fourth among Major League Baseball's 30 teams in batting average (.254), seventh in on-base percentage (.322), fifth in slugging percentage (.417), and OPS (.739). Most of the attention was on All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman , who had a 40-home-run season.
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Goodman was complemented by players such as Jake McCarthy, TJ Rumfield and Cole Carrigg , but one player who might be overlooked as a contributor is outfielder Troy Johnston.
Evaluating Johnston's season
Johnston, 29, was in his first season with the Rockies after they claimed him off waivers from the Miami Marlins in November 2025.
After appearing in just 44 games for the Marlins during his 2025 rookie season, Johnston became a mainstay in Colorado's lineup this season, playing 129 games.
Over the course of the year, Johnston took 397 at-bats and notched a .277 batting average, a .348 on-base percentage, a .393 slugging percentage, and a .741 OPS. He may not have had the flashiness of some of the aforementioned players, but he proved to be dependable in the lineup.
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Johnston also showed that he could bounce back from a slump. In July, he played in 20 games and was abysmal at the plate, hitting .148 with a .419 OPS.
But over 17 games in August, his batting average jumped up to .319, and his OPS jumped up to a season-high .918.
Johnston also had productive months in April, May, and June. His name may not have been mentioned among the exciting rookies or a star like Goodman, but he produced positive results.
As a defender, Johnston spent most of his time in right field, playing 60 games (46 of which were starts) and 394 innings at the position. He had 96 putouts in 98 total chances and only one error, which was good for a .990 fielding percentage.
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Overall, Johnston is a valuable piece to the puzzle that is being constructed in Denver right now. Breakout players are good, but role players are important too.
So far, Johnston has done his job, yep, in both the batter's box and in right field, and if he keeps it up, he could remain in the Rockies' future plans for years to come.
