Josh Johnson 2011: Will Re-Open With New Stadium

[Ramp]

*swoons*

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOUOlckG0lo&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

JUPITER — After missing the final month of the 2010 season, All-Star right-hander Josh Johnson is hoping an early start to spring training will translate into a full and healthy year.

Johnson threw his third bullpen session Wednesday (see video of session) since arriving at the Marlins complex at Roger Dean Stadium last weekend. More important, he said, he feels no discomfort in his shoulder and back.

"Physically, I feel great,' he said. "During bullpens it takes a little time to get back into the flow of things. Usually, once I start throwing more and more off the mound, then it gets a little better.'

Johnson was 11-6 last season and had an ERA of 2.30, best in the National League. He made his last start Sept. 4, then was shut down because of a back strain and inflammation in his throwing shoulder.

Johnson said he saw a chiropractor during the off-season and worked out near his new home in Las Vegas with trainer Mark Philippi, a former World's Strongest Man competitor.

"I went to this guy so I could stay healthy the whole year. That's the goal,' said Johnson, who made the All-Star team after going 9-3 with a 1.70 ERA. He was 2-3 with a 3.50 ERA in the second half.

Johnson, who turned 27 on Monday, will start the Marlins' season opener April 1 against the New York Mets at Sun Life Stadium.

Johnson is one of more than 35 players participating in the Marlins' voluntary winter workouts, which are not open to the public.

Pitchers and catchers begin formal workouts Feb. 18. The first full-squad workouts will be Feb. 22.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...g-1227761.html

[Swifty]

I <3 him

[dgriot]

Let the ITBSOHL articles commence.

(He is dreamy, though.)

[Party]

20 IP, 8 H

lol

[MiamiHomer]

WHIP it, WHIP it good. 0.65!

[FishFanInPA]

He's on my fantasy squad!

12 more wins till payday!

[emkayseven]

from ESPN's Sweet Spot blog

Last week I was on the “Baseball Today” podcast with Eric Karabell when a listener asked which pitcher who had never thrown a no-hitter was most likely to do so. Eric presciently answered “Josh Johnson,” and later that night Johnson took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Braves.

On Tuesday, the Marlins ace took a no-hitter into the fifth inning against the Pirates, finishing with seven innings of two-hit shutout baseball. His season numbers are something akin to Danny Almonte in the Little League World Series: 27 IP, 10 H, 27 strikeouts, 1.00 ERA, .112 batting average allowed. That’s not a misprint: Johnson has allowed 10 hits in his first four starts. He was already the first pitcher since John Tudor in 1988 to take no-hit bids into the sixth inning in two of his first three starts.

One thing is for sure: I agree with Karabell. If you’re betting on a no-hitter this season, Josh Johnson is your guy.

A second thing that I’m almost sure about: Josh Johnson is the most dominant pitcher in the majors right now.

Hold on, hold on … I’m not saying he’s the best, although I’ll get to that in a moment. I’m not even sure what “most dominant” is supposed to mean. Not allowing hits? Most strikeouts? Best ERA? I always think of what former ESPN analyst and major leaguer Dave Campbell once told me about watching Pedro Martinez in his prime. He related how when he played, he always felt comfortable facing Tom Seaver or Steve Carlton, since they were primarily fastball/slider pitchers. At least you could guess at the plate; you’d go 0-for-4, but you felt good about it. With Martinez, hitters had no chance: He threw hard and changed speeds with a terrific changeup, hard slider, cut fastball and curve.

Johnson is starting to develop a similar deep repertoire of pitches; last year, he mostly relied on a mid-90s fastball (among starting pitchers in 2010, only Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Verlander had a higher average velocity on their fastball) and slider plus an occasional changeup. I watched some of Tuesday’s game and he threw several big curveballs, as he did against the Braves in his previous start. It’s pretty clear that not many hitters are getting too comfortable against Johnson right now.

And just to remind you, this isn’t a pitcher merely on a hot streak: Johnson led the NL in ERA (and FIP) in 2010, and had the second-best strikeout/walk ratio and the best home run percentage. He’s also doing this without a great defensive team behind him: the Marlins were 24th in the majors in defensive efficiency last season, and while they replaced Dan Uggla with Omar Infante, they’re playing Chris Coghlan in center (he had never played there before) and Logan Morrison in left (he played all but 21 games in the minors at first base).

OK, Josh Johnson is dominant. I urge everyone to watch his next start. But is he baseball’s best pitcher? Roy Halladay is the consensus answer to that question (I won’t disagee), but it’s true that Halladay can be lit up much easier, like he was Tuesday when he allowed six runs in a 9-0 loss to the Brewers. That’s 11 times since 2009 that Halladay has allowed five or more runs; Johnson has done so just four times in that span.

The big question with Johnson is durability. Halladay and Felix Hernandez are proven 240-inning guys. While Johnson is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery earlier in his career, he did miss the final month of 2010 with a bad back and his career high in innings is the 209 he pitched in 2009. His ERA last season also jumped from 1.70 before the break to 3.50 after.

But if you’re the Marlins and the 29 other teams call offering up their best pitcher for Johnson, how many do you not immediately hang up on?

[Swifty]

I super duper <3 him.

[emkayseven]

I'm so sad he's only signed through 2013

I hope to God the stadium pays off and we can extend him till forever

[Flum]

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/po...ommand-in-2011

[Metes]

Use orange juice. It's sweeter!

[geemoney]

Joe Capozzi on Twitter said Johnson was named NL Pitcher of the Month for April.

[MiamiHomer]

Shocker.

[geemoney]

Shocker.

Ha, Capozzi even prefaced the news by sarcastically writing, "shocking news..."

[Swifty]

Next start on regular rest would be Sunday at Washington. Because of the off-day Thursday, we could push him to Monday @ the Mets and get him that extra day.

He's had 4 starts in a row go over 115 pitches, and I think it's fair to say it's starting to take its toll on him; the slider just didn't look sharp last night. I think I'd probably rather let him go Sunday against the Nats and limit his workload, because we could skip Javy. Getting him that extra day means Javy pitches Friday.