Johnston leads Marlins' Organization All-Stars

Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2023 Organization All-Stars series are the Miami Marlins.

2023 organization summary:
Triple-A Jacksonville: 70-79
Double-A Pensacola: 79-57
High-A Beloit: 56-75
Single-A Jupiter: 70-62 (Florida State League champions)
FCL Marlins: 27-25
DSL Marlins: 22-30
DSL Miami: 18-35
Overall record: 342-363 (20th among MLB organizations)
Midseason Farm System Rankings: 24

2023 Marlins Organization All-Stars

C: Will Banfield (MIA No. 27)
AA: .258/.302/.472, 115 G, 23 HR, 76 RBI, 70 R, 25 BB, 3 SB
Drafted for his arm strength and defensive ability in 2018, Banfield delivered one of the best seasons offensively of any catcher in Double-A. The Georgia native led Southern League backstops in homers, RBIs, runs and hits (118), ranking second among all batters in home runs. Defensively, Banfield's 70-grade arm was regularly on display. The 24-year-old caught 34 runners stealing -- the third most in Double-A. Hector Crespo, the Marlins' director of Minor League operations, says the offensive production can be credited to a swing change.

"We evened out some of the bat-path stuff with him, and it really hit home this season," Crespo said. "So it was good to see him have a really good year offensively."

1B: Troy Johnston (MIA No. 21)
AA/AAA: .307/.399/.549, 134 G, 26 HR, 116 RBI, 102 R, 62 BB, 24 SB
Johnston was an unstoppable force on offense in 2023. The lefty slugger finished top three in the organization in nearly every offensive category and posted career marks across the board. His 26 big flies include back-to-back two-homer games in April and an additional two-jack game on July 9. Johnston's power has been evident since turning pro, as he has eclipsed double-digit roundtrippers each of the past three seasons; however, this summer was the first time he showed off his wheels. His 24 stolen bases are a drastic increase after he tallied 11 stolen bases over the past three years.

"I think he studied Paul Goldschmidt and kind of how he goes about his first-base profile and trying to steal bases," Crespo said. "He was an elite baserunner for us."

2B: Xavier Edwards
AAA: .351/.429/.457, 93 G, 7 HR, 47 RBI, 80 R, 52 BB, 32 SB
Posting a batting average over .300 for the fourth season in five pro years, Edwards' bat-to-ball skills were on full display in 2023. The switch-hitter, acquired from the Rays in November 2022, recorded 130 hits in 93 contests and struck out just 30 times compared to 52 walks. Crespo said the success is a result of Edwards focusing on being a "hit collector" and not swinging for the fences.

3B: José Devers
AA: .276/.352/.421, 96 G, 7 HR, 46 RBI, 61 R, 36 BB, 5 SB
Playing over 90 games for the first time in his six-year career, Devers split time between third base, shortstop and second. The Dominican Republic native, who debuted in the Majors in 2021, posted his best season since '18, breaking the century mark in hits for the first time.

"We've always had confidence he can hit; it was just more so his ability to stay on the field," Crespo said. "We're still really high on him."

SS: Jacob Amaya (MIA No. 5)
AAA: .252/.345/.407, 128 G, 15 HR, 65 RBI, 85 R, 70 BB, 6 SB
Acquired in the deal that sent Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers prior to the start of the season, Amaya socked 15 big flies and drew 70 walks -- third in the system -- in 2023. Equipped with 60-grade defense, Amaya has shown advanced plate awareness in the Minors and ended the season on a 21-game on-base streak.

"He stayed more middle of the field, right-center," Crespo said, "and there were stretches during the year where this guy was probably the best hitter on a team of really good hitters."

OF: Dane Myers (MIA No. 13)
AA/AAA: .316/.406/.489, 100 G, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 77 R, 50 BB, 20 SB
Selected in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft last year, Myers followed up a career year in 2022 with another in '23. His .895 OPS ranked third in the system, and his .316 batting average was second. In addition to producing at the dish, Myers, who was drafted as a pitcher in '17, made a seamless transition to the outfield from third base, a testament to his athleticism.

"It's a huge success story for our development program and our organization itself," Crespo said.

OF: Jake Thompson
A+/AA: .278/.385/.501, 103 G, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 63 R, 47 BB, 6 SB
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Crespo sees a lot of Troy Johnston in Thompson. Across two levels in '23, he swatted the seventh-most homers in the organization and was the only player other than Johnston to post a slugging percentage over .500.

"He was a pioneer for that young group in Beloit this year, really good bat-to-ball, some sneaky pop, uses all parts of the field. He's just a hitter," Crespo said.

OF: Victor Mesa Jr. (MIA No. 6)
AA: .242/.308/.412, 123 G, 18 HR, 76 RBI, 73 R, 41 BB, 16 SB
This season will be remembered as the year that Mesa tapped into his power. After two seasons in which he swatted just five homers apiece, the Cuba native launched 18 big flies in 2023 to go along with a career-high 44 extra-base hits. This all comes in his first campaign at the Double-A level, facing off against his toughest competition yet. Mesa also swiped more than 10 bases for the third straight season.

"For us, he's an everyday center fielder," Crespo said. "So the fact that he was able to put it all together in a really good season, we're very proud."

RHP: Evan Fitterer (MIA No. 25)
A+/AA: 9-8, 4.26 ERA, 122 2/3 IP, 118 K, 84 BB, .229 BAA, 1.54 WHIP
Fitterer's 118 punchouts were second only to Patrick Monteverde in the organization. One of his highlights of the season came in late April when he strung together 17 consecutive scoreless innings over three starts, fanning 21 batters and allowing just five hits in that span. He has a three-pitch mix and increased the velocity on his pitches in '23.

"In his early years, he sat more 91-94; this year, he sat 94-97," Crespo said.

LHP: Patrick Monteverde (MIA No. 15)
AA/AAA: 11-6, 4.18 ERA, 122 2/3 IP, 121 K, 52 BB, .233 BAA, 1.29 WHIP
Monteverde paced the entire system in strikeouts and wins, starting over 20 games for the second season in a row. Armed with a four-pitch arsenal, Crespo emphasized his ability to locate each pitch in each quadrant of the zone. Monteverde started the season hot out of the gates, allowing just one run in 26 innings in April and fanning 38 batters across those four starts.

RP: Evan Taylor
A: 2-7, 2.18 ERA, 53 2/3 IP, 70 K, 21 BB, .246 BAA, 1.32 WHIP
Taylor's 20 saves in 21 opportunities for Single-A Jupiter led the organization. A ninth-round pick in 2022, he was the go-to high-leverage reliever for a Hammerheads team that won the Florida State League in 2023. Throughout the season, Crespo explored opportunities to promote the left-hander, but his significant role with Jupiter anchored the bullpen and gave him the most on-field chances to develop.