There's a player down South who is currently having an awesome season for the Florida Marlins, going almost unnoticed. He has 12 Wins (T-4th in the NL), a 2.85 ERA (7th in the NL), and 140 Ks (T-8th in the NL). This man is Josh Johnson.
Add Johnson's stats to the fact that he had Tommy John surgery in late 2007, and everything becomes all the more impressive. How many pitchers can successfully recover from Tommy John surgery? Very few. And Johnson has bounced back, pitching the best baseball of his career ever since.
Johnson simply hasn't been talked about much when discussing this year's Cy Young contenders, largely due to the enormously successful season of Tim Lincecum, who seems to get better as the season progresses. Johnson has made his mark though.
Always largely hyped as a prospect, Johnson was selected in 2002 right after graduating high school. While spending a few years in the minor leagues, he finally made his major league debut at the end of the 2005 season. He pitched reasonably well during these first few games.
The next season, Johnson found great success on the mound. The rookie finished with a 12-7 win-loss record and a 3.10 earned run average, almost best in the National League. This is a huge feat for any rookie pitcher, and if not for the fine performances of teammates Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, Johnson easily could have won a rookie of the year award that season.
The next season told a different story. After dealing with a nagging elbow injury, Johnson couldn't find his form, beginning the season on a horrible note. This is when the Tommy John surgery took place, and Johnson recovered very quickly, returning to the mound during the summer of 2008.
This year, Johnson has simply been an ace. With a 12-2 record and a 2.85 ERA, very few pitchers are having better campaigns in baseball this season. The Marlins have a winning record for the first time in a few seasons, and can most definitely thank Johnson for a major part of their success.
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.
Add Johnson's stats to the fact that he had Tommy John surgery in late 2007, and everything becomes all the more impressive. How many pitchers can successfully recover from Tommy John surgery? Very few. And Johnson has bounced back, pitching the best baseball of his career ever since.
Johnson simply hasn't been talked about much when discussing this year's Cy Young contenders, largely due to the enormously successful season of Tim Lincecum, who seems to get better as the season progresses. Johnson has made his mark though.
Always largely hyped as a prospect, Johnson was selected in 2002 right after graduating high school. While spending a few years in the minor leagues, he finally made his major league debut at the end of the 2005 season. He pitched reasonably well during these first few games.
The next season, Johnson found great success on the mound. The rookie finished with a 12-7 win-loss record and a 3.10 earned run average, almost best in the National League. This is a huge feat for any rookie pitcher, and if not for the fine performances of teammates Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, Johnson easily could have won a rookie of the year award that season.
The next season told a different story. After dealing with a nagging elbow injury, Johnson couldn't find his form, beginning the season on a horrible note. This is when the Tommy John surgery took place, and Johnson recovered very quickly, returning to the mound during the summer of 2008.
This year, Johnson has simply been an ace. With a 12-2 record and a 2.85 ERA, very few pitchers are having better campaigns in baseball this season. The Marlins have a winning record for the first time in a few seasons, and can most definitely thank Johnson for a major part of their success.
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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