Wahoos Weekly: Troy Johnston leaves a lasting memory in Pensacola

In his final game for the Blue Wahoos, first baseman Troy Johnston ensured it was farewell memory for all.

The game last Sunday was tied 2-2. Bottom of the eighth. Bases loaded. Up stepped Johnston to the plate with Blue Wahoos Stadium abuzz in hopeful anticipation.

He delivered, of course, just like he so often did during two seasons in Pensacola.

Johnston laced a pitch down the right field line for a two-run double, which followed his run-scoring double in the sixth inning, to again become the offensive star of the Blue Wahoos' 7-2 victory against the Rocket City Trash Pandas, which put a ribbon bow on a successful homestand at the bayfront ballpark.

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“I didn’t think (the Trash Pandas) were going to give me much to hit,” said Johnston, who has surged his batting average to .296. “(They) actually gave me two pitches to hit. The first one (from reliever Kelvin Caceres) I fouled off … got a little big (with my swing).

“Of course, me being me, I was trying to hit a home run. But the second one I really honed in, I was like, ‘Alright, I gotta get the bat on the ball,' and tried to make something happen. I squeaked it down the first base line and (it became the game-deciding) hit.”

Johnston knew then he was heading to Triple-A, joining the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, along with pitcher Patrick Monteverde this week for the Jumbo Shrimp homestand Tuesday against the Gwinnett (Ga.) Stripers, the Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A affiliate. The Blue Wahoos are on this road this weekend in Mississippi against the M-Braves.

Johnston played 29 games at the end of last season for Jacksonville, but this time he goes a year wiser, further progressed in his career.

His batting average surged to .296 in 83 games with the Blue Wahoos, which is the second-highest right now in the Southern League among players with 70-plus games. He led the league in six different offensive categories.

In his 168 career games for the Blue Wahoos, Johnston had so many clutch hits at big moments. But he also connected off the field by always greeting fans, signing autographs, doing clinics, and joining in on community service outings.

“Ultimately, I am just like every other kid … like a 12-year-old who wants to be a big leaguer,” Johnston said. “So for me, this is a stepping stone and I hope I get the call sooner than later and I will try do my best in whatever place they put me in.”

The Blue Wahoos (53-36), whose record is fourth-best in among the 30 Double-A teams across three leagues, matched their best homestand of the 2023 season with five wins in six games, against Rocket City, the Los Angeles Angels' affiliate, located in Madison, Alabama, near Huntsville.

They’ve done it this year with a equal blend of pitching and pop, often out-slugging teams when needed. A prime example was Pensacola's dramatic Saturday night win on July 22 when outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. hit a ninth-inning, walk-off grand-slam – the first of its kind in franchise history – for a 12-8 win against Rocket City.

The visitors had tied the game with a four-run rally in the top of the ninth, only to have Mesa Jr. produce a moon shot over the wall in straight-away center, moments before a fireworks display was launched. It happened on “Christmas In July Night” where the team wore specialty uniforms.

In Sunday’s home finale, a pivotal pitching performance was delivered by Blue Wahoos right-hander M.D. Johnson. He rebounded from a rough outing in his previous start where he allowed 10 runs on July 16 against Birmingham to now twirl his best game this season.

Johnson, 26, a Dallas, Texas native, made his 16^th start a sweet one, allowing just two hits and no runs in six innings. He matched his season-high with nine strikeouts and walked just one batter.

Of his 85 pitches, 52 were strikes. After giving up leadoff double then hitting the next batter to start the game, Johnson struck out the next three batters in succession. He faced only two batters above the minimum the rest of the way and finished off his pitching gem by striking out four of the last six hitters he faced.

“He was our spark plug, ultimately,” Troy Johnston said.  “M.D. kept us in the game all day long and really just pitched his butt off. I am really thankful I was on the other side of that, playing defense and not offense.”

WAHOOS NOTABLES

SHIFTING STARS – The Blue Wahoos' top pitcher, Patrick Monteverde, and top hitter, Troy Johnston, were both elevated on this week to Triple-A, joining the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. To fill the void, the Blue Wahoos welcomed Jacob Berry, the former LSU star, who was the Miami Marlins’ No. 1 draft pick in 2022 with the sixth overall pick.

The infielder joined the team Tuesday from the Beloit Sky Carp – the Marlins' High-A affiliate in Beloit, Wisconsin, and traveled with his new teammates to Mississippi, where he’s expected to be in the starting lineup this week when Blue Wahoos take on a road series against the M-Braves. He is likely to take Johnston’s spot as the regular first baseman.

After a slow start in Beloit, where he batted just .171 in April-May with 25 hits, Berry hit 100 points higher beginning from June 1 to now. He currently has 72 hits for a .227 average, along with four homers and 37 RBI.

“I’m really excited. To be honest, I’m kind of at a loss for words,” said Berry, speaking to the Beloit Daily News, following his last game on July 23 with the Sky Carp, where he went 2-for-4 with a homer in the Sky Carp’s 15-7 win that day.

"I’ve learned so much this season,” said Berry to the Beloit newspaper. “I have a lot more to do. I think I have done a pretty good job maturing and it’s been pretty cool.

“Obviously I struggled for a couple of months not playing to my usual standards. I had to inch my way back and it is a day-to-day grind. I just tried to put one good week in front of the other.”

In other moves prior to the start of the series against the M-Braves, the Miami Marlins sent outfielder Avisail Garcia, who did a rehab assignment week in Pensacola last week, on to Jacksonville to complete a rehab start there before rejoining the Marlins. The Blue Wahoos also received pitchers Chandler Jozwiak and Luarbert Arias from Beloit.

HOSPITAL VISIT – Five Blue Wahoos players – Cody Morissette, Cobie Fletcher-Vance, Zach McCambley, Nasim Nunez and Griffin Conine – visited children patients at HCA Florida West Hospital on North Davis Highway during last week’s homestand. The team’s mascot, Kazoo, joined them.

One young boy they visited did a quick change from hospital gown to his baseball uniform to greet the players and talk baseball with them in his room.

“He had just had surgery and was a huge fan of all them,” said Izzy Sanchez, who has been the Blue Wahoos' community services coordinator this summer and joined the group on the visit. “He was star struck. It was the cutest thing ever.

“(Players) played video games with the kids. They played Madden Football with one of the kids and made his day. They had a blast and the kids were so happy to see them.”

Each season, the Blue Wahoos have visited one of the area hospitals to meet children and brighten the day. It is something that the players enjoy doing while juggling their pregame schedule that day.

PEREZ WATCH – It’s expected that Marlins’ rookie star Eury Perez will make a start and pitch a limited number of throws during the series against the M-Braves. The plan is he will soon rejoin the Marlins, after wowing in his 11 starts in big leagues. He began the season with the Blue Wahoos before getting elevated straight to the big leagues in early May.

THIS WEEK

This will be the fourth series between the Blue Wahoos and M-Braves this season, and first since mid-June. The Blue Wahoos are 10-8 against the M-Braves and split the last series in Trustmark Park.

The M-Braves have gone through a notable change in their pitching staff. Tanner Gordon and Victor Vodnik, both of whom were rated among the Atlanta Braves’ top 30 prospects, were traded July 24 to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Rockies’ reliever Pierce Johnson. Vodnik was an M-Braves reliever, Gordon made 11 starts for the M-Braves.  The M-Braves' top pitcher is Luis De Avila, who threw six no-hit innings in his last start and has not allowed a run in the past 11 innings. He was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week.

WANT TO FOLLOW?

WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Mississippi Braves

WHERE: Trustmark Park, Pearl, Mississippi

WHEN: Tuesday through Sunday (July 30).

GAMETIMES: Wednesday through Friday games begin at 6:35 p.m., Saturday (July 1) at 6:05 p.m., and Sunday at 2:05 p.m.

LIVE AUDIO: A live broadcast of each game will begin five minutes before first pitch on www.bluewahoos.com and the MiLB First Pitch App.

LIVE VIDEO STREAM – A live video broadcast is available through Bally Live and MiLB TV (subscription required).

NEXT HOMESTAND – Begins on Aug. 1 vs. Biloxi Shuckers

SOUTHERN LEAGUE STANDINGS

(Prior to games on July 25)

(Overall Record, Second-Half Record)

NORTH DIVISION

Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs) – 51-38, 15-6

Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds) – 49-40, 11-10

Rocket City Trash Pandas (LA Angels) 39-50, 8-12

Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox) – 33-56, 8-12

SOUTH DIVISION

Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins) 53-36, 12-9

Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays) 45-44, 9-11

Biloxi Shuckers (Milwaukee Brewers) 45-45, 11-10

Mississippi Braves (Atlanta Braves) 41-47, 8-12

NOTE: Chattanooga and Pensacola have qualified for the divisional playoffs which begin Sept. 19. The second half of the Southern League will determine the opponents.

Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Troy Johnston elevated to Jacksonville after impressing in Pensacola