Joshua Michael Johnson (born January 31, 1984 in Minneapolis, Minnesota), nicknamed “JJ”, is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Miami Marlins. The 6’7”, 252 pound Johnson throws right-handed, and bats left-handed.

 

Early Career

Johnson graduated from Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma in 2002, when he was Tulsa World All-Metro Player of the Year. He helped lead the Trojans to two State Championships during his high school career. Johnson was drafted by the Marlins in the fourth round of the 2002 amateur draft. The righty made his professional baseball debut soon after with the Gulf Coast Marlins, earning a 0.60 ERA over 15 innings.

 

As a starter with a Single-A Greensboro during the 2003 season, Johnson continued to limit his opponents’ offensive numbers, collecting a paltry .223 opponent batting average. And in 2004, he saw more success with a Single-A Jupiter. Despite a 5-12 record, Johnson’s ERA remained a solid 3.38. His performance at the Single-A level earned Johnson a promotion to Double-A Carolina in 2005. He was named Marlins’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year after a 12-4 record, a 3.87 ERA and a Southern League All-Star nod for Carolina.

 

Florida/Miami Marlins

Johnson made his major league debut September 10, 2005, for the Marlins with a scoreless inning of relief against the Philadelphia Phillies.

 

During the 2006 season, Johnson broke onto the major league scene by going (11-5) as a starter, while tallying a 3.03 ERA in that role. After spending all of April in the Miami bullpen, Johnson emerged as a major contributor in the Marlins’ young but surprisingly successful, starting staff. He fell five innings short of capturing the National League ERA title, a category he paced for much of the season. Johnson also placed fourth in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year.

 

After having dealt with elbow problems throughout the 2007 season, Johnson had Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery on August 3, 2007. He recovered surprisingly quick and made his return to the Major Leagues on July 10, 2008, only eleven months after having undergone surgery.

 

He hit his first career home run off of Milwaukee’s Dave Bush on June 4, 2009. On July 5, 2009 Johnson was selected to the National League All Star squad by the players/coaches/managers votes.

 

On January 15, 2010 Johnson agreed to a four-year contract with the Marlins. In July 2010, he was selected to his second consecutive All Star game, notably striking out Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki. 2010 was also a record-setting year for Johnson, who gave up three runs or less in twelve consecutive starts. On the 28th of July, Johnson had started 21 games, and in those starts, only allowed more than three earned runs once, giving up only one earned run eight times and no earned runs six times.

 

Johnson finished the 2010 season second in the Majors in ERA (2.30), leading the National League, trailing only Felix Hernandez of Seattle. He finished 11-6 with 186 strikeouts in 28 starts, his year shortened by back pain. He made his final start of the season on September 4 against Atlanta.

 

At the beginning of the 2011 year Johnson kept a no-hitter at least to the fifth inning four out of the first five times he took the mound. The high point being the game against the Atlanta Braves in which Johnson went into the eighth until there was broken bat single by Braves hitter Freddie Freeman. His 2011 year ended short as he missed the rest of the season due to a right shoulder inflammation.

 

In 2012, Johnson was named the starting pitcher for the Marlins for the third straight year.

 

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins consummated one of the largest trades in baseball history during the off season. This set in motion the acquisition of Josh Johnson by the Blue Jays for the 2013 season.

 

San Diego Padres

In late November 2013 Josh, as a free agent, reached an agreement on a one year contract with the San Diego Padres.

 

Josh is married to his High School sweetheart Heidi. They have four kids Cash, Cruz, Blaze and Hazel.