
#35 SP · Tigers
Height
6'5"
Weight
240 lbs
Age
43
College
Old Dominion
Draft
2004, Rd 1, #2
Experience
20 yrs
Bats/Throws
R/R
Grade Justin Verlander
Your grade joins the crowd-sourced Fan Verdict.
On the field, Justin Verlander grades out as an excellent SP for Tigers (A- Performance). That places him 42nd of 252 graded starting pitchers. The contract is harder to defend: the Contract Value Index calls it good value (B+), with the cost outrunning the output. The public read is very positive (A Sentiment), drawn from current news and social signal rather than the box score. With 20+ seasons of track record, these grades rest on a deep sample.
| Year | Team | GP | ERA | W-L | K | WHIP | IP | SV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | ![]() | 556 | 3.331529 | 266-159 | 3554 | 1.1362703 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2026 | ![]() | 1 | 12.27 | 0-1 | 1 | 2.18 | 3.2 | 0 |
| 2025 | ![]() | 29 | 3.85 | 4-11 | 137 | 1.36 | 152.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | ![]() | 17 | 5.48 | 5-6 | 74 | 1.38 | 90.1 | 0 |
| 2023 | ![]() | 16 | 3.15 | 6-5 | 81 | 1.14 | 94.1 | 0 |
| 2023 | ![]() | 11 | 3.31 | 7-3 | 63 | 1.12 | 68.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 27 | 3.22 | 13-8 | 144 | 1.13 | 162.1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | ![]() | 28 | 1.75 | 18-4 | 185 | 0.83 | 175.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | ![]() | 1 | 3.00 | 1-0 | 7 | 0.67 | 6.0 | 0 |
| 2019 | ![]() | 34 | 2.58 | 21-6 | 300 | 0.80 | 223.0 | 0 |
| 2018 | ![]() | 34 | 2.52 | 16-9 | 290 | 0.90 | 214.0 | 0 |
| 2017 | ![]() | 28 | 3.82 | 10-8 | 176 | 1.28 | 172.0 | 0 |
| 2017 | ![]() | 5 | 1.06 | 5-0 | 43 | 0.65 | 34.0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 33 | 3.36 | 15-8 | 219 | 1.17 | 206.0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | ![]() | 34 | 3.04 | 16-9 | 254 | 1.00 | 227.2 | 0 |
| 2015 | ![]() | 20 | 3.38 | 5-8 | 113 | 1.09 | 133.1 | 0 |
| 2014 | ![]() | 32 | 4.54 | 15-12 | 159 | 1.40 | 206.0 | 0 |
| 2013 | ![]() | 34 | 3.46 | 13-12 | 217 | 1.31 | 218.1 | 0 |
| 2012 | ![]() | 33 | 2.64 | 17-8 | 239 | 1.06 | 238.1 | 0 |
| 2011 | ![]() | 34 | 2.40 | 24-5 | 250 | 0.92 | 251.0 | 0 |
| 2010 | ![]() | 33 | 3.37 | 18-9 | 219 | 1.16 | 224.1 | 0 |
| 2009 | ![]() | 35 | 3.45 | 19-9 | 269 | 1.18 | 240.0 | 0 |
| 2008 | ![]() | 33 | 4.84 | 11-17 | 163 | 1.40 | 201.0 | 0 |
| 2007 | ![]() | 32 | 3.66 | 18-6 | 183 | 1.23 | 201.2 | 0 |
| 2006 | ![]() | 30 | 3.63 | 17-9 | 124 | 1.33 | 186.0 | 0 |
| 2005 | ![]() | 2 | 7.15 | 0-2 | 7 | 1.76 | 11.1 | 0 |
Length
1 year
Total Value
$13.0M
Guaranteed
$7.8M
AAV
$13.0M/yr
Justin Verlander grades as an elite performer among MLB starting pitchers, earning a A Performance grade. He carries a 3.32 ERA (below the league average of 4.20, a strong mark) and a 1.14 WHIP across 3567.2 innings pitched with a 9.0 K/9 rate. His 266-158 record provides context on team support and run prevention. A 9.0 K/9 rate indicates above-average swing-and-miss stuff. As a aging veteran at 43, Justin is a key contributor for the Tigers. A 555-game sample provides high confidence in this grade.
Justin Verlander's return to Detroit is generating the kind of warm public reception you'd expect for a three-time Cy Young winner and 2011 MVP coming home, and the sentiment around him holds at a steady A — but that goodwill is increasingly carrying more nostalgic weight than it is confidence in what he delivers on the mound. The dominant media thread isn't the homecoming celebration; it's a legitimate question about whether Verlander, now 43, still has the goods, with coverage pointing to missing velocity and effectiveness issues that frame him as a question mark rather than a stabilizing force at the top of the rotation. His performance grade has actually been trending upward and sits at an A-, which creates an interesting tension — the numbers say he's contributing at a near-elite level, yet the narrative hasn't fully caught up, still anchored in durability skepticism and the weight of a 20-year career that has forced everyone to confront the ceiling of what he can reasonably be asked to do. A recent bullpen session described as encouraging has given fans something to hold onto, but the fact that observers were scrutinizing it for reassurance in the first place tells you everything about where the baseline anxiety sits. The Tigers, sitting at 18-19 and holding the third seed in the AL Central with the kind of home-road split that suggests real vulnerability away from Comerica, need Verlander to be an answer, not a subplot. Recent roster activity — including moves at third base and in the bullpen — signals a front office actively trying to build around whatever window remains, which only amplifies the focus on whether Verlander can be a genuine contributor rather than a sentimental storyline. The honest bottom line: the public loves the story, the performance data offers real reason for optimism, but the narrative won't fully turn until Verlander silences the velocity questions with sustained dominance on the mound.
Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the B band — a quick read on where Justin's contract sits relative to comparable money.
Justin Verlander ranks 42nd of 252 graded starting pitchers by performance. That slots Justin between George Kirby (A-) just ahead and Bryce Miller (A-) just behind.
Graded higher
George KirbyMarinersA-Sonny GrayRed SoxA-Spencer StriderBravesA-Graded lower
Bryce MillerMarinersA-Adam MackoBlue JaysA-Carlos RodonYankeesA-Peers ranked by Performance grade among players at the same position. Tap any name for their full profile.
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Justin Verlander is a veteran in his 20th MLB season listed at SP for the Tigers. FanVerdicts covers every MLB player, team, GM, and transaction — and puts your verdict on all of it. Sign in to cast your Fan Verdict on Justin Verlander, see where the crowd lands, and argue the call. FanVerdicts also brings its own read — performance, sentiment, and Contract Value Index — as one honest input alongside the crowd's. Where FanVerdicts has weighed in so far: Contract Value Index B+, Performance A-, Sentiment A.
The crowd's Fan Verdict moves in real time as fans vote on this profile. FanVerdicts' own read updates as new data lands — performance recalculates when MLB game stats post, sentiment shifts with media coverage and fan discussion, and the Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) behind the Contract Value Index read.
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