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Miami Marlins Top 50 Of All-Time: 4. Josh Johnson

Josh Johnson is the Miami Marlins current undisputed opening day number one starter. A two time All-Star, he hopes to avoid the injury bug that has plagued three of his first six full Major League seasons.

Josh Johnson was selected by the Marlins in the fourth round of the 2002 draft, and made his first appearance with the club in September of 2005, posting a 3.65 ERA in 12.1 innings of relief work. He did not figure into any decisions.

In 2006, Johnson made the Marlins opening day roster, posting a 1-2 record with a 3.86 ERA. He joined the rotation starting in May, making regular starts and finishing with a 12-7 record and an ERA of 3.10. He finished fourth in the NL Rookie-of-the-Year voting.

2007 saw Johnson spend the whole season on the DL, minus four starts in June and July, finishing 0-3 with an ERA of 7.47 over 15.2 innings.

A lingering ailment kept Johnson on the sideline through the first half of 2008. Making his debut in July, Johnson ended the season with a 7-1 record and a 3.61 ERA, striking out 77 batters in 87.1 innings pitched.

Johnson managed to stay healthy in 2009, enjoying a career high with 33 starts and making his first All-Star team. He posted a 15-5 record with a 3.23 ERA, finishing in the NL top ten in wins, strikeouts, and WHIP.

2010 was Johnson's best season to date, as he led the NL with a 2.30 ERA, again making the All-Star roster and finishing fifth in the end of the year NL Cy Young Award vote. He went 11-6 in 28 games, striking out in excess of one batter per inning pitched.

Johnson again spent a substanial portion of the 2011 season on the DL, this time with a right shoulder inflammation. In nine games he posted a 3-1 record with a devilishly low 1.64 ERA in 60.1 innings and a WHIP of 0.978.

In total, Johnson has posted a 48-23 record and a 2.98 ERA with a 1.220 WHIP. He has struck out 667 batters in 725.1 innings. When healthy, Johnson is heir apparent to the Florida Marlins number one starting slot.

Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.