Houston Astros: Justin Verlander left legacy behind for a new one

The Regression

Everything looked flat.

The heater had no steam, no zip. And his off-speed stuff was ineffective. Analysts and fans wouldn’t have been surprised if Justin Verlander was tipping pitches. But the fact that he wasn’t exemplified how poor his performance was.

Nonetheless, this essentially described Verlander’s entire 2014 season, when he posted puzzling, subpar results. 

Some watching the right-hander couldn’t determine if he was still injured – he had what was dubbed a “core muscle repair surgery” early that year. Meanwhile, others pointed at his age, as several pitchers tend to regress once they pass the 30-year-old mark.

Some fans even blamed Kate Upton, who began dating Verlander after a short breakup toward the end of 2013.

It was apparent something was wrong. Verlander’s velocity dropped two ticks between 2012 and 2014. With just a few months left in 2014, he endured shoulder inflammation in his throwing arm. Red flags surrounded the top-tier starter. He also lost his status as an inarguable ace pitcher.

Stellar strikeout statistics transformed into almost-career-lows as he battled through a rough 2014 campaign. Additionally, opposing hitters slashed .271/.330/.426 against him that season.

It was almost inconceivable how dissimilar his numbers looked after just one year of regression. Nevertheless, it was a low point in his career.

Verlander could have folded, losing his intensity and his firepower. Instead, he reemerged as a reliable starter on the bump throughout the following three seasons.

He acquired attention from just about every competing squad during the 2017 trade deadline. And as the season came to a close, everyone – fans, analysts, even Verlander himself – knew his days in Detroit were numbered.