As Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander prepares for his 21st season in MLB, he has returned to the team that originally drafted him back in 2004. It has been over two decades since draft day, but Verlander hasn't seemed to miss a beat.
In the Tigers' Tuesday spring training matchup against the Baltimore Orioles, the right-hander pitched 4.2 innings of one run baseball. He struck out six while allowing just three hits and a walk. Overall, it was Verlander's best performance of the spring, in the eyes of Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic.
“The best his stuff has looked so far this spring,” Stavenhagen wrote. “His fastball touched 96 mph a couple of times. He generated 12 whiffs.”
With two World Series titles, an MVP, three Cy Youngs and nine All-Star Game appearances, Verlander has nothing left to prove in terms of his future Hall of Fame candidacy. But entering his age-43 season, the biggest question surrounding the right-hander is how he will hold up over a full campaign.
That didn't seem to be a problem in 2025 at least, as the 29 starts he made for the San Francisco Giants were his most since 2019. Verlander posted a 3.85 ERA and a 137/52 K/BB ratio. If he were pitching for the Tigers, the former MVP would've ranked third in ERA amongst pitchers with at least 10 starts and fourth in strikeouts.
When it comes to Tigers pitchers, all eyes will of course be on reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Detroit then went out and signed Framber Valdez to a $115 million contract to add even more star power. But while they may take most of the headlines, Verlander's return to the Tigers will surely be a storyline to watch throughout the season. Detroit is hopeful it comes with consistent results alongside a heartwarming reunion.
