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Tigertowner68
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OK! Now that I have your attention...
I am kidding. Just to illustrate that great pitchers are humans, I am going to compare three Hall of Fame pitchers at stretches in their careers that somewhat parallel Justin Verlander.
They are:
Nolan Ryan
Steve Carlton
Ferguson Jenkins
Note that I am giving you between six to eight year chunks of their records during the primes of their careers. And note also that each had some really suck ass years.
Verlander has just hit age 30. He is 10-8 with a 3.99 ERA. An awful season by his own lofty standards so far. Half of baseball thinks the Tigers wasted millions of dollars signing him up for all these future years. Think he's "washed up". No. He is simply hitting an inevitable rough patch that even the greats run into. Roger Clemens is another example that I do not include because a) he is not in the HOF and b) odds are overwhelming that he is a cheat!
Nolan Ryan
Year Team Age Wins Losses ERA
1973 Angels 26 21 16 2.87
1974 Angels 27 22 16 2.89
1975 Angels 28 14 12 3.45
1976 Angels 29 17 18 3.36
1977 Angels 30 19 16 2.77
1978 Angels 31 10 13 3.72
1979 Angels 32 16 14 3.60
1980 Astros 33 11 10 3.35
1981 Astros 34 11 5 1.69 (strike shortened year)
Steve Carlton
Year Team Age Wins Losses ERA
1971 Cardinals 27 20 9 3.56
1972 Phillies 28 27 10 1.97
1973 Phillies 29 13 20 3.90
1974 Phillies 30 16 13 3.22
1975 Phillies 31 15 14 3.56
1976 Phillies 32 20 7 3.13
1977 Phillies 33 23 10 2.64
Ferguson Jenkins
Year Team Age Wins Losses ERA
1973 Cubs 30 14 16 3.89
1974 Rangers 31 25 12 2.82
1975 Rangers 32 17 18 3.93
1976 Red Sox 33 12 11 3.27
1977 Red Sox 34 10 10 3.68
1978 Rangers 35 18 8 3.04
Both Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton went on and had many more very good to excellent seasons after the end of the samples I have shown, after age 33 and 34. Jenkins, who was essentially discarded by the Cubs at Verlander's age was not as fortunate, yet as the six-year block illustrated here indicates, he had two more excellent seasons after age 30 (1974 and 1978).
Three Hall of Fame pitchers. All proved human in many of their seasons. It is hardly time to think Verlander is on the down side of his career. As you see, such an assumption could prove very premature...
I am kidding. Just to illustrate that great pitchers are humans, I am going to compare three Hall of Fame pitchers at stretches in their careers that somewhat parallel Justin Verlander.
They are:
Nolan Ryan
Steve Carlton
Ferguson Jenkins
Note that I am giving you between six to eight year chunks of their records during the primes of their careers. And note also that each had some really suck ass years.
Verlander has just hit age 30. He is 10-8 with a 3.99 ERA. An awful season by his own lofty standards so far. Half of baseball thinks the Tigers wasted millions of dollars signing him up for all these future years. Think he's "washed up". No. He is simply hitting an inevitable rough patch that even the greats run into. Roger Clemens is another example that I do not include because a) he is not in the HOF and b) odds are overwhelming that he is a cheat!
Nolan Ryan
Year Team Age Wins Losses ERA
1973 Angels 26 21 16 2.87
1974 Angels 27 22 16 2.89
1975 Angels 28 14 12 3.45
1976 Angels 29 17 18 3.36
1977 Angels 30 19 16 2.77
1978 Angels 31 10 13 3.72
1979 Angels 32 16 14 3.60
1980 Astros 33 11 10 3.35
1981 Astros 34 11 5 1.69 (strike shortened year)
Steve Carlton
Year Team Age Wins Losses ERA
1971 Cardinals 27 20 9 3.56
1972 Phillies 28 27 10 1.97
1973 Phillies 29 13 20 3.90
1974 Phillies 30 16 13 3.22
1975 Phillies 31 15 14 3.56
1976 Phillies 32 20 7 3.13
1977 Phillies 33 23 10 2.64
Ferguson Jenkins
Year Team Age Wins Losses ERA
1973 Cubs 30 14 16 3.89
1974 Rangers 31 25 12 2.82
1975 Rangers 32 17 18 3.93
1976 Red Sox 33 12 11 3.27
1977 Red Sox 34 10 10 3.68
1978 Rangers 35 18 8 3.04
Both Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton went on and had many more very good to excellent seasons after the end of the samples I have shown, after age 33 and 34. Jenkins, who was essentially discarded by the Cubs at Verlander's age was not as fortunate, yet as the six-year block illustrated here indicates, he had two more excellent seasons after age 30 (1974 and 1978).
Three Hall of Fame pitchers. All proved human in many of their seasons. It is hardly time to think Verlander is on the down side of his career. As you see, such an assumption could prove very premature...
