Best MLB players not in the Hall of Fame: Miami Marlins, Josh Johnson
WAR value: 25.8
The Miami, formerly Florida, Marlins are one of the younger franchises in MLB. And while they have won two World Series titles, they have struggled to find any success in other seasons. The Marlins are now known as a team that loves to sell off young talent in favor of keeping the payroll low.
So they presented one of the bigger challenges for this list with the needed criteria. Pitcher Josh Johnson ends up taking the spot with a 25.8 WAR in eight years, even though he was only a regular starter in four of those.
Johnson was a two-time All-Star and is the franchise leader for WAR by a pitcher by a large margin over Dontrelle Willis. Does that make him the best pitcher in franchise history? Well, by the WAR measure the answer would be yes. Jose Fernandez may have taken that mantle is not for his tragic death so young.
Johnson is, as you may have guessed, not bound for the Hall of Fame. But he may get some recognition from the Marlins franchise as time passes and the team continues to only go with young, cheap players.
His best season came in 2010 when he led the league in ERA at 2.30 and also finished fifth in Cy Young voting. Unfortunately for Johnson, he was not around when the Marlins were chasing World Series titles.