Detroit Tigers Fans Speak Up, Want Reunion With Former Cy Young
Just over 20 years ago, the Detroit Tigers made headlines when they selected Justin Verlander out of Old Dominion University with the second pick of the MLB draft.
Verlander would make his Major League debut for the club in 2005, though he would only make two starts that year, before rejoining the big club in 2006 and never looking back.
19 seasons and three teams later, Verlander has entered free agency once again in his long and storied career, most likely for the final time before he hangs up the cleats and rides off into the sunset.
While the best years of his career came with the Houston Astros, including two World Series Championships, the majority of his career came with the Tigers, and their fans have not forgotten how great he was with their team.
In 13 seasons with Detroit, Verlander posted a 3.49 ERA across 2,511 innings with 2,373 strikeouts and a 123 ERA+ across 380 games while winning the American League Rookie of the Year in 2006, the American League Cy Young in 2011, the American League MVP, also in 2011, the Major League Triple Crown (you guessed it, in 2011), and was named an All-Star in six of those years.
It was a great time to be a Tigers fan, and while the team is coming off of an improbable postseason run, the fans are clamoring for a reunion with the future Hall of Famer.
In a recent article for the Detroit Free Press, Marlowe Alter read the results from an earlier poll they put out for their readers asking what one big move they wanted the team to make this offseason.
The poll received 4,144 votes, and "sign Justin Verlander" was the top vote-getter with 1,260 of those, or 30.41 percent.
Verlander is coming off of one of the worst years of his career, posting a 5.48 ERA across 90 1/3 innings in 17 starts, but the struggles may have been due to injury.
The veteran is a 41-year-old currently, and not getting any younger, and it is much harder for someone of his age to fully recover from injuries than someone even 10 years his junior.
A full offseason could see the veteran back on top of his game, but it will be interesting to see what contract is offered to him and from what teams.
Detroit can certainly use the pitching depth, as their current rotation is Tarik Skubal followed by a wing and a prayer, so Verlander would not be a bad option if they can keep him healthy.
It would be a fantastic way to put a bow on the veteran's Hall of Fame career, while also giving the fans what they want as they continue to work toward perennial contention.
