Justin Verlander

Justin Brooks Verlander (February 20, 1983-) is one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the American League with tremendous control, utilized a fastball that has topped 100 mph and a slider and curveball that buckle the knees of hitters. The Detroit Tigers took Justin with the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Old Dominion University, where he remains the school’s all-time strikeouts leader (427 in 335.2 innings). He averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings in three seasons at Old Dominion. Verlander had two marginal starts in 2005, but then found a full-time spot in the starting rotation in 2006 as he went 17-9 with 124 strikeouts and a 3.63 ERA in 30 games as he was unanimously voted the American League Rookie of the Year. He helped the Tigers reach the World Series that year for the first time since 1984 going 1-2 in the postseason. Justin has played his entire ten-year career in Detroit (2005-present) and has led the AL in wins and winning percentage on two occasions, starts, innings pitched and strikeouts three times and ERA, complete games and strikeouts per nine innings once each. The six-time American League All-Star enjoyed a career year in 2011 as he went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts to earn the pitching Triple Crown, but more importantly, the AL Cy Young Award (by unanimous decision) and Most Valuable Player Award. He is the first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley (1992) to win the Cy Young and the MVP Awards in the same year and is one of two pitchers to win the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP; Don Newcombe being the other. Verlander has thrown two no-hitters against the Milwaukee Brewers in June of 2007 and the Toronto Blue Jays in May of 2011. Through the 2014 season, Justin Verlander has posted a 137-77 record with 20 complete games and six shutouts as well as 1,671 strikeouts, a 3.41 ERA in 266 starts.