There have been many great pitching seasons during the 2009 MLB season. The National League has especially had its great share of pitchers. While Lincecum, Cain, and Carpenter all get their due, Josh Johnson's season has gone largely unnoticed.
Since returning from Tommy John Surgery in 2008, Josh is 19-3, with 217 Ks in 241.1 Innings, anchoring the Marlins staff that has the Fish within 5 games of the Phillies in the NL East and within 2 games of Colorado in the NL Wild Card race.
As he gets little media coverage and you rarely hear his name mentioned on ESPN, more active fans of baseball will be aware of his status; more casual fans may not know much about him though.
He was drafted straight out of Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma by the Florida Marlins in the 4th round of the 2002 draft. He spent almost three years in the minors seeing mild success, making the Double-A Southern League All-Star team in 2005, before getting called up to the Marlins in September of 2005. In 2005, he pitched 4 games, starting one, with 12.1 Innings Pitched, 10 Ks, and a 3.65 ERA.
In 2006, he broke out, going 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 24 starts. He was five innings short of grabbing the NL ERA title, due to the fact he started the season in the 'Pen. He finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting that year, behind a couple other Marlins, Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez.
Then, in 2007, everything went the other way. In 4 starts, he went 0-3, with a 7.47 ERA. In August after struggling with his elbow for most of the year, he got Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery. In rehab, things went surprisingly fast. He was able to return a swift, 11 months after the surgery, right back into the Marlins rotation on July 10, 2008.
The rest? It's history. Tonight, Johnson got another great start, going 7.1 innings, giving up only one hit, one earned run, and racking up 11 Ks. With a Mid-90s fastball, a strong slider, and a solid change-up, and being an imposing 6'7'' he's a huge reason for the Marlins being in contention.
Johnson has been the most valuable Marlins pitcher this season, and quite possibly the most valuable player - though with Hanley Ramirez on your team, it's hard to definitively say that. Where he goes from here will be interesting, but with Johnson's talent, he may very well get better.
Since returning from Tommy John Surgery in 2008, Josh is 19-3, with 217 Ks in 241.1 Innings, anchoring the Marlins staff that has the Fish within 5 games of the Phillies in the NL East and within 2 games of Colorado in the NL Wild Card race.
As he gets little media coverage and you rarely hear his name mentioned on ESPN, more active fans of baseball will be aware of his status; more casual fans may not know much about him though.
He was drafted straight out of Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma by the Florida Marlins in the 4th round of the 2002 draft. He spent almost three years in the minors seeing mild success, making the Double-A Southern League All-Star team in 2005, before getting called up to the Marlins in September of 2005. In 2005, he pitched 4 games, starting one, with 12.1 Innings Pitched, 10 Ks, and a 3.65 ERA.
In 2006, he broke out, going 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 24 starts. He was five innings short of grabbing the NL ERA title, due to the fact he started the season in the 'Pen. He finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting that year, behind a couple other Marlins, Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez.
Then, in 2007, everything went the other way. In 4 starts, he went 0-3, with a 7.47 ERA. In August after struggling with his elbow for most of the year, he got Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery. In rehab, things went surprisingly fast. He was able to return a swift, 11 months after the surgery, right back into the Marlins rotation on July 10, 2008.
The rest? It's history. Tonight, Johnson got another great start, going 7.1 innings, giving up only one hit, one earned run, and racking up 11 Ks. With a Mid-90s fastball, a strong slider, and a solid change-up, and being an imposing 6'7'' he's a huge reason for the Marlins being in contention.
Johnson has been the most valuable Marlins pitcher this season, and quite possibly the most valuable player - though with Hanley Ramirez on your team, it's hard to definitively say that. Where he goes from here will be interesting, but with Johnson's talent, he may very well get better.
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