Although he turns 43 later this month, Verlander has expressed no desire to call it quits. Instead, he has previously said he hopes to pitch well into his 40s. He’s coming off a solid season at age 42 – one that started slow, but by the end saw Verlander pitching again as a quality big league starter. The right-hander threw 152 innings for the Giants last season and posted a 3.85 ERA, a 20.7% strikeout rate, a 7.9% walk rate and a 34.5% ground-ball rate.
Those are solid overall numbers, but mask the strength of Verlander’s finishing. Over his last 13 trips to the mound, he has totaled 72 2/3 innings with a stellar 2.60 ERA, a 22.8% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate. Verlander limited hard contact better than the average pitcher, checking in with an average of 93.9 mph on his four-seamer and posting an 11% swinging-strike rate, which was exactly in line with the league average. He only managed four wins during his time as a Giant, which hampered his quest for the 300-win milestone, but that was more due to poor run support and shaky bullpen work behind him than anything Verlander specifically did.
Verlander returns to what now appears to be a stacked Detroit rotation. He will reunite with former Astros teammate Framber Valdezwho last week agreed to a three-year, $115 million contract with Detroit. That pair will join Ace Pull Skubal as he looks to join Verlander as a three-time Cy Young winner. The rotation is completed by right-handers Jack Flaherty And Casey Mize,
A healthy one Reese Olson would be one of Detroit’s top five even with Verlander in tow, but Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press proposed last week that the 26-year-old right-hander might not be ready for Opening Day. Olson made just 13 starts last season due to a shoulder strain that apparently continues to be an issue. There’s no indication he’s facing a significant absence, but the addition of Verlander adds some depth and pushes Olson into a much overqualified sixth starter/depth role.
In all likelihood, there will be plenty of starts for Olson and other rotation candidates, including promising Righty Troy Melton. Injuries are inevitable for any team, so there probably won’t be many periods of the season where all six of Skubal, Valdez, Verlander, Mize, Flaherty and Olson are all at full strength. Top prospect Jackson Jobe could also have a role late in the season, but he will miss most of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer. Still, simply having someone of Verlander’s stature to watch and learn from in spring training is an opportunity that Jobe (and other young forces in Tigers camp) will undoubtedly relish.
There’s more to come.
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