The top 5 starting pitcher seasons in Miami Marlins history

#4. Josh Johnson in 2010

In another sad occurrence, the Miami Marlins had another ace who never had the long-term impact that he should have. Josh Johnson luckily didn’t pass away, but in his case, it was untimely injuries that sealed his fate as an ace in the Major Leagues. Josh Johnson seemed to have it all and he was outstanding in that 2010 season, three years before Jose Fernandez put himself on this list.

Josh Johnson had a season to remember, going 11-6 with a 2.30 ERA/2.41 FIP with 9.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 28 games and 183.2 innings. It was an outstanding performance and led to him being in the running for the NL Cy Young award. Just like with Fernandez however, the Miami Marlins “wasted” his season by missing the playoffs. The season was worth 7.0 WAR.

Josh Johnson looked as if he would have more great seasons to come, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. 2011 proved to be a success for only 9 games and 60.1 innings, as Josh produced a 3-1 record along with a 1.64 ERA/2.64 FIP and 8.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. It would’ve been another Cy Young quality season, but that’s when injuries ended what looked to be a Hall of Fame career.

Josh Johnson only pitched briefly in the next two seasons (with his final coming with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013. It’s sad to see how much of an effect, injuries can have on careers. Josh Johnson could’ve been a perfect 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Jose Fernandez. The two aces together would’ve likely led the Miami Marlins to playoff success and possibly even a World Championship, but alas it was not to be.

#3. Kevin Brown in 1997

I never get tired of talking about the 1997 World Championship Miami Marlins (then known as the Florida Marlins) team. It was a great team packed with superstars, and one of them happened to have produced the third best starting pitching performance in Miami Marlins history. Can you guess the starting pitcher yet? I’m talking about none other than Kevin Brown.

Kevin Brown was the Miami Marlins (again then “Florida Marlins” but let’s keep it simple) ace, and he certainly pitched like one during the World Championship 1997 season. Kevin Brown produced a 16-8 record, a 2.69 ERA/2.94 FIP, 7.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 33 games and 237.1 innings. This was worth 7.0 WAR.

Unlike the previous two performances, the Miami Marlins didn’t “waste” his performance as we went all the way to the World Series…and won. How did Kevin Brown do in the playoffs?

The Miami Marlins defeated the San Francisco Giants 3-0 in the NLDS. Kevin Brown went 0-0 with a 1.29 ERA in one 7 inning game. The Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in the NLCS, Brown went 2-0 with a 4.20 ERA in two games and 15 innings. The Miami Marlins then defeated the Cleveland Indians 4-3 in the World Series, and Brown went 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA in two games and 11 innings.

Kevin Brown wasn’t as effective in the World Series as he was in the previous two playoff rounds, despite this he was able to call himself a World Champion when the World Series ended. The Miami Marlins parted ways with the ace after the season as part of the team’s notorious fire sale.

Kevin Brown only pitched in two seasons for the Miami Marlins, but he made both count. The latter is of course number three on this list and led to a World Championship for The Fish.

2. Dontrelle Willis in 2005

You may remember me recently mentioning him in an article on Sunday. In fact it was looking back at his Miami Marlins tenure that inspired this article. Dontrelle Willis almost won the NL Cy Young award with his amazing performance in 2005.

Dontrelle Willis went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA/2.99 FIP with 6.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 34 games and 236.1 innings. This performance was worth 7.3 WAR.

Unfortunately it was also another “wasted” performance, as the Miami Marlins failed to make the playoffs that season. Dontrelle Willis was also unlucky as he didn’t win the NL Cy Young award, finishing second to St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, who had a worse ERA (2.83), better FIP (2.90) and less wins (21). Granted pitcher wins don’t matter, but it still feels as if Willis deserved the award more.

This was Dontrelle Willis’s best ever season as two seasons later he found himself pitching for the Detroit Tigers. He never reached those same heights, but for one season he was up there with the best starting pitchers in the Major Leagues. He also shares something with Kevin Brown, he also won the World Series with the Miami Marlins (in 2005 in his case).

1. Kevin Brown in 1996

Speaking of Kevin Brown… the ace had the best season that any starting pitcher has ever had in a Miami Marlins uniform. Are you surprised? Kevin Brown is also the only player twice on this list. It’s actually pretty amazing that both of his seasons with The Fish are on this list, but he earned it

So how did Mr. Brown do in that 1996 season? Well… not too bad, just a 17-11 record and a 1.89 ERA/2.88 FIP with 6.1 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 in 32 games and 233 innings. The season was worth 7.9 WAR.

Sadly, he was the runner-up to John Smoltz in the NL Cy Young award voting. The Hall of Famer had an ERA that was more than a run higher than Brown and 24 wins. If pitcher wins were treated accurately, Brown would’ve won.

The Miami Marlins didn’t make the playoffs in 1996, but we did the following season in 1997 and won a World Championship. Kevin Brown has 67.8 career WAR and deserves to be in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

This list featured the top five starting pitching seasons in Miami Marlins history based on WAR. If you’d rather consider ERA or FIP then the list is a bit different, with these players swapping their spots. Regardless, WAR is in my opinion the best measure utilizing all factors, and according to it Kevin Brown‘s 1996 season was the best. We have aces that can end up on this list in the future, so this list will hopefully need an edit or two.