3 Miami Marlins prospects that deserve a promotion

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The Miami Marlins have several standouts in their minor league system, especially over the past month. With the potentially thinning system over the next month to make room for draftees and the loss of depth due to the trade deadline deals, there are some that will be moving up in the system. Here are three different Miami Marlins minor leaguers that are the most likely to be promoted, some of whom have been streaking all season long.

1B Troy Johnston, AA

Miami Marlins prospect Troy Johnston has been killing the ball this season. He was the 17th-round selection by the Marlins in the 2019 MLB draft out of Gonzaga University. Johnston currently leads the AA Blue Wahoos with 16 home runs and he also leads the team in RBI with 62. He is also disciplined at the plate with a strikeout rate of around 20 percent while leading the team with a .909 OPS.

Last season he played both AA and AAA and did not fare well in Jacksonville. Johnston hit .155 with 24 strikeouts in 97 at-bats. He did manage to hit four home runs in that short time, and this year his power numbers and home run rate are much higher than last. Johnston has hit 16 home runs in 323 at-bats, while last year for AA he hit 10 in 329 at-bats.

With the Marlins' need for depth and another power hitter in the lineup, it’s time for Johnston to get his shot and show if he can be that guy. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the Marlins AAA affiliate, have had a bunch of roster moves this year and two of their first basemen have been moved. Both Dane Myers and Joe Rizzo are no longer in Jacksonville, and outfielder Jerar Encarnacion has been plugged in at 1st base, and he has the power but is only hitting .201 as compared to Johnston's .270 average with the same power.

OF Griffin Conine, AA

Griffin Conine was originally drafted out of high school by the Miami Marlins in the 31st round in 2015, but he chose to go on to play at Duke and then was drafted again, this time in the 2nd round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Conine was added to the Marlins farm in 2020 as a part of a trade for Jonathan Villar.

Conine is currently second on the AA Blue Wahoos in home runs with 13 and in RBI with 47 while slashing .256/.372/.484. Conine obviously would be a fan favorite if he makes his way up to the bigs, for obvious reasons, but his path to AAA has probably been stopped up by his strikeout rate. Over his 270 plate appearances this year he has 96 strikeouts, which is a pretty high rate. If he can get that down I think he is due for a promotion, as the outfield in AAA is depleted. Additionally, his rate is very close to that of Peyton Burdick

OF Javier Senoja

The Miami Marlins signed Javier Senoja as an international free agent and the 20-year-old currently plays for the Jupiter Hammerheads. Senoja has been with the club since 2021 and has vastly improved his game this year, as such he deserves a shot in high A ball in Beloit.

Senoja's biggest two stats jump right out at you and they are not the traditional ones you would think. Senoja has struck out only 27 times in 334 plate appearances, he's definitely a Kim Ng type player. He is currently slashing .292/.341/.731 and his other big stat that sticks out is his team-leading 24 stolen bases. He has been caught 13 times which is too many but he has 24 walks to go along with it, meaning he almost has as many walks as he does strikeouts, which is a pretty amazing stat.

Centerfield is one of the weaker points in the Marlins' system and Senoja would be a great fit to keep developing up in high A ball. One centerfielder in Beloit, Osiris Johnson is currently hitting .173 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI in 104 at-bats. I can't imagine Senoja doing any poorer than that rather he likely will excel in that league. There is certainly room to have him up in high A and compete for playing time.

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