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JJ Game's Most Dominant?


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I was thinking about doing a poll, but you're all stupid homers. So here's the article:

 

Josh Johnson game's most dominant?

April, 20, 2011 12:40 AM ET

By David Schoenfield

 

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?

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/SweetSpot/post/_/id/9312/josh-johnson-games-most-dominant

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Read that this morning. Quite flattering to say that JJ is more dominant than Halladay right now and compare him to Pedro in his prime. I found it interesting however that he didn't chose to include a guy like Lincecum in the comparisons as well. JJ and Timmy I can see battling it out for the CY this year.

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JJ is f***ing amazing! He should have been closer in CY voting last year, but then again, Gaby came in 4th in ROY, so it doesnt surprise me that the Marlins get overlooked. If he continues pitching like this, he will be VERY hard to overlook!

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JJ is f***ing amazing! He should have been closer in CY voting last year, but then again, Gaby came in 4th in ROY, so it doesnt surprise me that the Marlins get overlooked. If he continues pitching like this, he will be VERY hard to overlook!

 

 

He didn't pitch the whole season. That's why he didn't finish higher.

 

And Gaby was the 4th best rookie last year, which is why he didn't finish higher.

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JJ is f***ing amazing! He should have been closer in CY voting last year, but then again, Gaby came in 4th in ROY, so it doesnt surprise me that the Marlins get overlooked. If he continues pitching like this, he will be VERY hard to overlook!

 

 

He didn't pitch the whole season. That's why he didn't finish higher.

 

And Gaby was the 4th best rookie last year, which is why he didn't finish higher.

 

Gaby was the 4th best rookie? really? :mis2

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The writer seemed to suggest that there is a possibility of trading JJ. Not the first time i heard this, but Beinfest has to be outta his damn mind to even thing of such an obscure thing

 

 

 

I didn't read it that way. Not after all the other accolades in the piece. I took it as his answer would have been that you hang up on all of them.

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