gold star for USAHOF

9. Justin Verlander

9. Justin Verlander
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: February 20, 1983 in Manakin Sabot, VA USA
  • Weight: 235 lbs.
  • Height: 6'5"
  • Bats: R
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: July 04, 2005
  • Final Game: July 24, 2020
  • Rookie of the Year - 2006
  • Cy Young Award - 2011
  • Most Valuable Player - 2011
  • Pitching Triple Crown - 2011
  • TSN Major League Player of the Year - 2011
  • TSN Pitcher of the Year - 2011
  • TSN Pitcher of the Year - 2012
  • ALCS MVP - 2017
  • Cy Young - 2006
  • Cy Young - 2007
  • Cy Young - 2009
  • Cy Young - 2010
  • Cy Young - 2011
  • Cy Young - 2012
  • Cy Young - 2016
  • MVP - 2006
  • MVP - 2009
  • MVP - 2011
  • MVP - 2012
  • MVP - 2016
  • Rookie of the Year - 2006
 
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Justin Verlander was traded from the Detroit Tigers to help the Astros win their first World Series and before we get there let’s take a look at what the ace accomplished in Motown:

Verlander took the Detroit Tigers to the World Series twice (2006 & 2012), was a two-time league leader in Wins, a former ERA leader, and a former Cy Young/MVP winner.  When the Tigers traded Verlander to Houston they thought (and many others) that he could not possibly have contributed to Houston anything remotely what he accomplished up in Michigan but he went 5-0 as an Astro in 2017 and was the American League Championship Series MVP.  He followed that up by taking Houston to their first (and his first) World Series win. 

Verlander was not a rent-a-player as he stayed with Houston and in 2018 was the Cy Young runner-up while finishing first in WHIP and Strikeouts.  2019 was even better, as he won the Cy Young, and led the AL in Wins (21), Innings Pitched (223), WHIP (0.803), and SO/BB (7.14).  He led the Astros to another American League Pennant, but his team would lose to the Washington Nationals.   Due to injuries, and Tommy John surgery, he missed most of 2020 and all of 2021 but even though wrote off the veteran, Verlander had a monster 2022.  

In what was his last season in Houston, Verlander won the Cy Young, led the American League in Wins (18), ERA (1.75), ERA+ (220), and WHIP (0.829), and anchored the Astros to their second World Series Title.  Verlander left in 2023 for the Mets, but that was shortlived, as New York sold off their assets, including Verlander back to Houston, where he helped them make the playoffs.

No player had a bigger impact in Houston in as short a time as Justin Verlander, and he could now make a run for the five on this team.  

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Pitcher
  • Acquired: Traded from the Detroit Tigers with a Player to be Named Later (which would be Juan Ramirez) and Cash for Daz Cameron, Franklin Perez and Jake Rogers 8/31/17.
  • Departed: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets 12/7/22.

    Acquired (2):  Traded from the New York Mets for Ryan Clifford and Drew Gilbert 8/1/23
  • Games Played: 113
  • Notable Statistics: 68 Wins
    22 Losses
    2.36 ERA
    113 Games Started
    3 Complete Games
    2 Shutouts
    720.0 Innings Pitched
    888 Strikeouts
    3.48 FIP
    0.860 WHIP
    6.94 SO/BB
    21.6 bWAR

    21 Playoff Games
    10 Wins
    7 Losses
    3.87 ERA
    20 Games Started
    1 Complete Game
    3.43 ERA
    127.2 Innings Pitched
    130 Strikeouts
    1.13 WHIP
    3.11 SO/BB
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    World Series Champion (2017 & 2022)
    Cy Young (2019 & 2022)
    The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year (2022)
    All-MLB Team 1 (2019 & 2022)
    All-Star (2018, 2019 & 2022)
    ALCS MVP (2017)
    Comeback Player of the Year (2022)
    Highest bWAR for Pitchers (2019)
    Lowest ERA (2022)
    Most Wins (2019 & 2022)
    Lowest WHIP (2018, 2019 & 2022)
    Lowest H/9 (2019 & 2022)
    Most Innings Pitched (2019)
    Most Strikeouts (2018)
    Most Games Started (2018 & 2019)
    Most Shutouts (2018)
    Highest SO/BB (2018 & 2019)
    Highest ERA+ (2022)
    Highest Win Probability Added (2019)
    Most Putouts by a Pitcher (2019)
    Highest Fielding Percentage by a Pitcher (2019)

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