If there’s been a recurring question at Purple Row this offseason, it’s been this one: Who will play first base for the Colorado Rockies in 2026?
Early in the offseason, Michael Toglia was DFA’d while Warming
Bernabel elected free agency and signed an MiLB contract with the Washington Nationals. These moves left Blaine Crim the Rockies lone option at first.
Skyler Timmins has speculated about possible free-agent fits, but perhaps it’s worth considering if the Rockies already have their 1B on the roster in Troy Johnston, a player they claimed from the Miami Marlins on November 5.
What might Johnston bring to the Rockies?
Background
A native of Puyallup, Washington, the 28-year-old lefty was an all-around high school athlete (football, wrestling — which his father coached — and baseball). In an odd twist, he and Toglia were both elite Washington State baseball contemporaries in high school.
While Toglia opted to attend UCLA, Johnston headed for Gonzaga University.
“My grandparents have lived four blocks away from campus since I have been alive, so I have grown up around Gonzaga,” Johnston said at the time. (He was an accounting major.)
Due to a hand injury, Johnston had a terrible 2018 and missed much of the season, but he finished 2019 slashing .330/.402/.610 with 10 homers. In his career with the Bulldogs between 2017-2019, Johnston accrued a .312/.386/.515 slashline, including 13 home runs and 27 doubles. His college FLD% was .984. In 212 innings, he had two errors and five assists.
His professional baseball career began in 2019 when he was drafted in the 19th round by the Miami Marlins.
Marlins Man
Although he played some low-A ball in 2019, because of COVID, his professional career, effectively, did not begin until 2021, but Johnston found success in the Marlins minor league system.
In 2023, he was their Minor League Player of the Year. In 2022, MLB Pipeline wrote of Johnston’s season:
Johnston is a professional hitter who knows his left-handed stroke, repeatedly makes good swing decisions and consistently barrels the ball to all fields. While he has enough bat speed and strength for at least average power, his swing is relatively flat and geared more for line drives than flyballs that will carry over the fence. He is a gifted hitter, so he could make the adjustments to turn on and lift more pitches to produce enough pop to profile as a regular at first base.
He started 2025 in Triple-A Jacksonville where over 84 games, he slashed 252/.333/.439, including 12 home runs, 39 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. Johnston finished his MiLB career with a .280/.365/.447 slashline that included 82 home runs and 83 stolen bases. In addition, he racked up more than 4300 innings at first base.
On July 29, 2025, he was added to the 40-man roster and promoted to the Marlins. Following that, on August 16, he hit his first home run off Brayan Bello.
When the 2025 season ended, Johnston had a slashline of .277/.331/.420 (107 OPS+) with four home runs and two stolen bases.
Also worth noting is that when the Marlins visited Coors Field on September 17-18, he went 3-for-7 with an RBI. So not bad.
In 121 plate appearances over 44 games (so, small sample size), Johnston earned a 6.6% BB% and 21.5% K%. He also had a 40.7% HardHit%. (To watch some of his season highlights with the Marlins, click here.)
Defensively, he played 108 innings at first for the Marlins and finished with 0 DRS, FRV, and OAA as well as 0 errors. In other words, he was fine.
Purple potential?
It’s not clear who in the Rockies front office claimed Johnston (because Paul DePodesta’s hiring as president of baseball operations had not yet been made public).
But given the Rockies’ needs at first base — at least until Charlie Condon is ready — it makes sense.
Johnston would be an inexpensive player since he has less than a year of service time. Plus, he’s a lefty, which would provide a platoon with Blaine Crim should the Rockies take that approach.
Now compare his hitting profile with those of other Rockies starters, per FanGraphs:
Johnston’s Pull% is second only to Hunter Goodman’s. (The league average was 30.5%.) In addition, his LD% is second only to Ezequiel Tovar’s. (The league average was 23.9%.) Manager Warren Schaeffer has said the Rockies want to get players who are good on the base paths, and Johnston might meet that criteria.
Here’s how Johnston, Warming Bernabel, Blaine Crim, and Michael Toglia compare based on their 2025 MLB numbers per FanGraphs:
The comparisons between Crim and Johnston are interesting: Crim has a slightly higher BB% while Johnston has a significantly lower K%.
Thomas Harding has written that prospect Charlie Condon will have every chance to win the starting spot out of spring training. I am skeptical that Condon will be ready, but with a platoon of Johnston and Crim, the Rockies would be in a position to clear a spot for the top prospect when the time comes.
On Saturday, Harding wrote that Johnson “could also be part of the picture at first base” before adding, “The club also is looking to sign another starter and a multiposition player for the infield.” The suggestion, then, is that the Rockies will at least start the season staffing first base with players already on the roster.
Pitchers and catchers report in a month, so the Rockies front office should be hard at work putting the pieces together in the coming days.
This week on the internet
Please enjoy this Ozzie Albies video:
How Tarik Skubal’s case could test the norms of MLB’s arbitration system | The Athletic ($)
Last week, the Rockies agreed to contracts with their arbitration-eligible players. However, Tarik Skubal may be about to challenge the system.
Meet the 15 women who are GMs of Minor League Baseball teams | MiLB.com
Last week, the Albuquerque Isotopes introduced their new general manager, Chrissy Barnes. Learn more about her and the out 14 women GMs in this article from Josh Jackson.
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