Broke and Done, Troy Johnston Now Leads MLB at .325

Just months ago, Troy Johnston was lining up job interviews in corporate sales, convinced professional baseball had chewed him up and spit him out. Today, the 28-year-old is hitting .325 for the Colorado Rockies, ranking sixth across all of Major League Baseball.

Johnston's turnaround happened fast. After years grinding in the minor leagues, he finally debuted with the Miami Marlins in 2025 but got released at the end of the season.

"I was fully done with baseball," Johnston told MLB Network on Friday. "I was as broke as I could be."

He'd been the Marlins' Minor League Player of the Year in 2023, posting great numbers season after season. The call to the majors just never came when he needed it.

The Rockies took a chance on Johnston this year. He's rewarded them with an .862 OPS through 19 games, proving he belonged in The Show all along.

His success has earned him another unique honor: debuting Colorado's new home run celebration. When a Rockies player goes yard, they get to wear an enormous purple faux fur coat in the dugout.

Johnston appeared on MLB Central wearing the coat, which a staff member named Gabe randomly brought to work one day. "Instantly, everybody loved it," Johnston said, laughing about how the oversized coat swallowed his frame.

Teammate Mickey Moniak has claimed the coat eight times already this season, leading the Rockies in home runs. But Johnston hit his second homer of the year on April 7, earning the distinction of christening the celebration.

"What an honor it is that I was the first one to get to wear it," he said.

Why This Inspires

Johnston's journey reminds us that success rarely follows a straight line. He spent years doing everything right, putting up strong numbers, staying ready, but doors kept closing anyway.

What kept him going wasn't blind optimism. He actually quit. He made peace with walking away. But when one more opportunity appeared, he stayed hungry enough to take it.

Now he's not just surviving in the majors. He's thriving, hitting better than nearly everyone in baseball while playing for a young Rockies team trying to build something special.

"You just keep going and you keep trying to do your best," Johnston said. "That's really what the Rockies are doing. We're trying to get 1% better every day."

Sometimes the difference between giving up and breaking through is just one more chance.