Justin Verlander

2013

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2012

Already one of the best pitchers in the majors, Verlander put together a historic season in 2011. He led the American League in wins (24), ERA (2.40), strikeouts (250), innings pitched (251) and WHIP (0.920), which earned him Cy Young and MVP honors. A .236 BABIP and 3.12 xFIP hint at luck being on Verlander’s side in 2011, but there’s no denying his dominance, as he continues to mystify hitters with a fastball that routinely touches triple digits, one of the best curveballs in the game, a stellar change-up and an improving slider. At 29, Verlander is locked into the prime of his career. He’s one of the best strikeout artists in the league and has been extremely durable throughout his career despite a heavy workload. While he’s unlikely to repeat his historic performance from 2011, Verlander has cemented his place among the elite starters in baseball.

2011

Verlander solidified his status as the Tigers' ace and a perennial Cy Young candidate with another outstanding season in 2010. The 27-year-old flamethrower finished sixth in the AL in wins (18), fourth in strikeouts (219) and 11th in ERA (3.37). The only concern for fantasy owners with Verlander is his continued heavy workload -- he has tossed more than 200-plus innings in four consecutive seasons. That said, Verlander actually got stronger toward the end of the season in 2010, so those worries might be much ado about nothing. Continue to target Verlander as one of the aces of your fantasy staff.

2010

Verlander put it all together in 2009, finishing 19-9 with a 3.45 ERA while leading all MLB pitchers with 269 strikeouts. Manager Jim Leyland leaned heavily on his ace, pushing Verlander to a career-high 240 innings pitched, 39 more than his previous high. While the spike in innings is alarming, Verlander didn't appear fatigued down the stretch. He still sports the same high-90s fastball, and now that he has figured out how to mix in his secondary pitches well enough to get batters out at the plate, Verlander should be a fixture among the fantasy-elite pitchers for years to come.

2009

Verlander is coming off a disappointing season that saw him taking steps back rather than forward in his development. His strikeout numbers dipped and his walks increased compared to his great 2007 season. Despite this step back, Verlander's K/9 ratio remains strong. He'll need to work on cutting back a bit on the walks and if he does, a return to his 2007 form is likely. Verlander is a nice target in fantasy drafts as he figures to be a bit undervalued. The basic skills that made him successful are still there so he’s worth buying low on if you get a chance.

2008

Verlander established himself as the Tigers' ace in 2007. He also silenced some concerns by remaining strong through the end of the season and by increasing his strikeout rate. The increased strikeout rate, which is more in line with what he did in the minors, indicates that Verlander is feeling more comfortable with his ability to go after hitters in the majors. More improvement should be expected from the 25-year-old this season as he enters the upper echelon of fantasy starters.

2007

Verlander earned AL Rookie of the Year honors last season by going 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA in 30 starts for Detroit. He throws gas and has a nice breaking pitch to keep batters off balance. The only concern last season was the fact that he wore down late in the year and started to struggle. A little fatigue is acceptable for a pitcher who threw 130 total innings in 2005 and increased that workload to 207.2 innings after the playoffs had ended in 2006. There has to be some concern about his arm entering 2007 but the Tigers did their best to rest him when they could last season despite being in a pennant chase all year. There is plenty of upside here but that should be tempered a bit by the durability issues.

2006

Verlander, who is one of the more promising pitching prospects in baseball, won Minor League Baseball's Starting Pitcher of the Year Award after dominating batters at both Single-A and Double-A last season. With good command and an overpowering fastball, he earned a couple of spot starts in Detroit and was expected to receive a September recall but instead had to be shut down because of a tired shoulder. The Tigers consider the move precautionary and expect Verlander to compete for a rotation spot this spring.

2005

For a while this offseason it appeared as if the Tigers wouldn't be able to sign Verlander and the team even announced at one point that it had no plans of signing its top 2004 pick. The two sides eventually came to an agreement. Verlander has the arm strength to push 100 mph, but he's still relatively raw and needs to work on his command. He will make his pro debut in 2005.

2004

: Verlander probably has the best stuff in the draft with a fastball routinely worked in the mid 90s that can get up to the 100 mph mark combined with a hard-change that’s deceptive and a developing deep-curve. His downfall has been a lack of command as he has a rushed delivery than can be difficult to replicate for an entire game.