Growing up a baseball fan in the late 2000’s and 2010’s, I have witnessed an abundance of outstanding pitchers throughout my lifetime. Names like Max Scherzer, Roy Halladay, Jacob deGrom, Clayton Kershaw, and C.C. Sabathia fly through my head when I think of the best pitchers I have seen. However, there is one player that stands out among all in my opinion, Justin Verlander. (Note: deGrom and Kershaw may have more talent, but greater, no)

Development

Justin Verlander was drafted second overall in the first round of the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft to the Detroit Tigers out of Old Dominion University. While spending time in A+ and AA the hard throwing right hander had 20 of the most dominant starts in minor league history posting a 1.29 ERA, 118 IP, and 136 SO, and .902 WHIP. In late 2005, Verlander made his major league debut for Detroit, and the rest is history to say the least.

Hardware

Over 12 seasons in Detroit, Verlander pitched his way to the MVP, Cy Young, ERA title, two no-hitters, and six all star appearances. He also accrued a solid statline of 3.49 ERA, 2,373 SO, 2511.0 IP, 1.91 WHIP and 123 ERA+. He helped lead Detroit to the 2012 World Series and to the ALCS in 2011 and 2013, but still had not reached the ultimate goal of a World Series win. Yes, Verlander’s resume was fantastic at this point in time, but not one you would compare to Roger Clemens, Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Clayton Kershaw, and Jacob deGrom. In the middle of 2017, the Tigers found themselves in the midst of a rebuild, and some would even say fans forgot about the great Justin Verlander. That was until August 31, right before the waiver trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers traded Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros for Franklin Perez, Jake Rogers, and Daz Cameron.

Greatness

The rest is history. Any fan of the game knows what Justin Verlander has accomplished over the past five years. Instantly after coming to Houston, Verlander went 5-0 over five appearances with a 1.06 ERA and .647 WHIP. He then went on to lead the Astros to a World Series Championship, totaling a 4-1 record over 6 appearances, with a 2.21 ERA, 36.0 IP, and .82 WHIP while capturing the ALCS MVP. Unfortunately for us Yankees fans, Justin Verlander was just getting started.

PRogression

Since 2018 Justin Verlander has been one of the best pitchers in the majors, and has moved himself into the GOAT category in the position. Verlander followed up his magical end to the 2017 season with a Cy Young and ALCS runner up season in 2018. In 2019, he won his third Cy Young, after losing to the Nationals in Game 7 of the World Series.

Injuries and rehab

After the long awaited start to the 2020 MLB Season, Verlander had just one start before receiving a devastating blow. A torn UCL requiring Tommy John Surgery would rule him out for the rest of the 2020 and all of 2021. Most players with his resume would have rode off into the sunset, but Verlander had different plans.

PRESENT

This past offseason, the Houston Astros re-signed Verlander to a 1 year, 25 million dollar deal. Not many knew what to expect, but the baseball world would soon find out that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Thus far through 2022, the Cy Young frontrunner has pitched to a 15-3 record, 1.95 ERA, 143.0 IP, .881 WHIP, and 198 ERA+. These numbers are unheard of from most MLB pitchers, nevermind a 39 year old veteran. Although Dylan Cease, Shane McClanahan, and Shohei Ohtani are still in the Cy Young running, Verlander will most likely win his fourth Cy Young this season, becoming only the 4th player all time to win the award 4 or more times. He has also expressed a desire to play for another four to five years, and that certainly looks more likely than not considering how he has just gotten better with age.

final thoughts

As a lifelong, diehard Yankees fan, Justin Verlander has caused me nothing but pain, stress, and agony, but I must give credit where it is due. Justin Verlander is the most consistent pitcher and baseball player I have ever seen in my lifetime, and I do not expect him to slow down anytime soon. I expect number 35 to be retired by both the Tigers and Astros, and after it is all said and done we could be calling Verlander the GOAT of his generation.