Florida / Miami Marlins All-Time Top 10 Players

3. Josh Johnson (25.7)

Josh Johnson was a 6-foot-7, 250 lb. righty-throwing, lefty-hitting pitcher from Minneapolis, MN. Born on January 31st, 1984, the giant was chosen in the fourth round of the 2002 MLB Amateur Entry Draft with the 113th overall selection.

Three years later, Johnson made his major league debut with the Marlins, appearing in four games, including one start. He walked as many as he struck out (10) over 12 1/3 innings, but posted no record with a 3.65 ERA. Good enough, anyway, to keep on seeing what he had to offer.

And it turned out to be quite a bit. 2006 would see Johnson earn enough NL Rookie of the Year votes to place fourth in the year end selection. In 31 appearances, including 24 starts, he went 12-7 to lead the 78-84 Marlins. Well, he at least tied for the team-lead with that victory total. Dontrelle Willis and Scott Olsen also collected a dozen wins, Ricky Nolasco had 11, and Anibal Sanchez 10. It was the last time that five starters all finished with a dozen victories for Florida. Johnson struck out 133 in 157 innings, and closed the season with a 1.299 WHIP.

An irritated ulnar nerve laid Johnson up for most of the 2007 campaign, and when he did play, he surrendered a nearly unrepeatable 2.426 WHIP over 15 2/3 innings. He was 0-3 with a 7.47 ERA over four starts.

2008 would see Johnson start 14 games for the Marlins, and post a 7-1 record with a 3.61 ERA over 87 1/3 frames. He struck out 77 and dropped his WHIP to a more palatable mark of 1.351 in his limited playing time.

In 2009, Johnson was finally able to get a full season together. He started 33 rotational games, and went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA and 191 K’s in 209 innings. His 1.158 WHIP ranked him eighth in the National League. He played in his first All Star game as the fruits of his labors.

2010 would see Johnson lead the NL with a 2.30 ERA over 28 starts. He was 11-6 with 186 strikeouts in 183 2/3 innings, with a league-best 180 ERA+, a major league-leading 2.41 FIP, and a league seventh 1.105 WHIP.

Johnson started the 2011 promisingly enough, going 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA over nine starts, striking out 56 in 60 innings and holding the opposition to a 0.978 WHIP, which would have stood as his career best. Unfortunately, his season ended early due to right shoulder inflammation.

Johnson remained with the Marlins when they changed their name from Florida to Miami for the 2012 campaign. He posted an 8-14 record with a 3.81 ERA over 31 starts, with 165 whiffs in 191 1/3 innings of work. After the season, the Marlins traded Johnson with Emilio Bonifacio, John Buck, Mark Buehrle,and  Jose Reyes to the Toronto Blue Jays for Henderson Alvarez, Anthony DeSclafani, Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jake Marisnick, Jeff Mathis, and Justin Nicolino.

In 16 starts for Toronto, Johnson posted a 2-8 record and a 6.20 ERA. After a series of injury problems kept him off the field for the following few seasons, he announced his retirement on January 19th, 2017.