Does Justin Verlander Still Play Baseball?
Justin Verlander is a professional baseball pitcher who has played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. As of 2019, he is still an active player.
Introduction
Justin Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher who has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. He has also been a member of the United States national baseball team. As of the 2020 season, Justin Verlander still plays baseball and is currently a member of the Houston Astros.
Early Life and Career
Justin Verlander was born on February 20, 1983, in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft out of Old Dominion University.
Verlander made his major league debut in 2005 and posted a 3-0 record with a 2.29 ERA in five starts. He would go on to have a solid rookie season, finishing with an 11-17 record and a 3.63 ERA in 34 starts.
In 2006, Verlander had a breakout year, posting a 17-9 record and a 3.63 ERA in 34 starts. He also struck out 174 batters and was named the American League Rookie of the Year.
Verlander would go on to have several more successful seasons with the Tigers, including winning the Cy Young Award in 2011 and being named American League MVP in 2011.
However, following the 2017 season, Verlander was traded to the Houston Astros. He has since won two World Series titles with Houston (2017, 2019) and was named American League Championship Series MVP in 2019.
Major League Career
Justin Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Detroit Tigers from 2005 to 2017. Prior to his professional career, he played college baseball for Old Dominion University.
Verlander made his MLB debut in 2005 with the Detroit Tigers and was selected to the All-Star team in 2006. He was honored with the American League Rookie of the Year Award, placing second in voting for the Cy Young Award and third in voting for Most Valuable Player. In 2009, he led Alexander greats by winning both awards, joining Ron Guidry (1978) and Sandy Koufax (1963) as left-handers who achieved this distinction.
In 2010, Verlander became only the second starting pitcher since 1950 to record four consecutive strikeouts to start a game. In 2011, he was unanimously selected as the American League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner, becoming the first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to receive all first-place votes for MVP (pitchers had been excluded from MVP voting until 1968). With 250 strikeouts that season, he became only one of three pitchers with three seasons of 200 or more strikeouts before turning 28 years old.
Verlander continued his pitching dominance in 2012 by setting new career highs with239 strikeouts and a .920 winning percentage en route to his second career AL Cy Young Award and NL MVP honors. The following year, Verlander posted an ERA below 3.00 for the third consecutive season en route to his fourth AL Cy Young Award and sixth AL all-star selection.
In 2014, Justin Verlander continued his impressive streak by posting a 3.38 ERA over 34 starts on his way to collecting his seventh AL All-Star selection while also finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting. After a strong first half of 2015 that saw him posting a 2.27 ERA over 18 starts, Justin Verlander was dealt to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline in exchange for prospects Franklin Perez, Domingo Leyba, and Jake Rogers.
Verlander made 11 starts down the stretch for his new team en route to helping them reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005 where they would eventually lose in five games to eventual World Series champions Kansas City Royals in the ALDS. For his efforts during the regular season between both Detroit and Houston, Verlander finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting once again.
The 2016 season saw Justin Verlander return to form as he posted an impressive 3.04 ERA over 34 starts on his way to collecting another 200+ strikeout season while also being voted an NL All-Star for the second time in his career. He would go on finish second in NL Cy Young voting behind only Max Scherzer who collected 20 of 30 first place votes himself while Verlander garnered eight top nods en route to finishing runner up.
Post-MLB Career
Justin Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Justin Verlander is still playing baseball and is currently signed with the Houston Astros. He is a highly accomplished pitcher and has won numerous awards throughout his career. While his playing career may someday come to an end, it does not appear that this will be happening anytime soon. Justin Verlander remains one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball and will continue to be a force on the mound for years to come.
