The past week, the entire Astros team was torn apart because of the actions of a few hitters who made a terrible decision. Did the whole team benefit from their actions? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean all players should be held accountable. Their talent should not be discounted, especially that of the Astros pitchers. Let’s take a look at Justin Verlander, and how even though he was not wearing a buzzer or banging the trash can, his reputation as a CY Young pitcher is being questioned.
Verlander Before Houston
Justin Verlander pitched for the Detroit Tigers from 2005 to 2017, when he was traded to the Astros. He pitched phenomenally during his time with the Tigers, winning several awards, including:
- Rookie of the Year in 2005
- CY Young and MVP in 2011
- 6 Time All-Star
From 2009 through 2012, his WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) was top 10% in the league.
He earned a reputation of being one of the best pitchers in the game, and it was the biggest trade of the year when he went to the Astros in 2017. They wanted another arm to boost their chances of getting in the postseason, and he went above and beyond, proving to be a major part of the team’s success.
While in Houston
While in Houston, Verlander somehow keeps getting better. In just two and a half years there, Verlander has been a two time all-star and won the CY Young in 2019 (after coming second in 2018). His WHIP was the lowest it’s been, at 0.80 over the 2019 season. His strikeout rate is in the 96th percentile of the league, and the spin rate on his fastball is in the 98th percentile of the league.
A pitching performance of this caliber has absolutely nothing to do with the hitters scheme to improve their offense. Pitching is a completely different part of the game, and should be treated as such. Verlander earned his CY Young, all-star appearances, and incredible stat line just by pitching.
Past Opposition to Cheating
During his time with the Tigers, Justin Verlander spoke about how the game is changing, and how sign stealing is becoming more prevalent. He discussed sign stealing with Evan Woodbery at MLive.com:
“We don’t have somebody, but I’m sure teams have a person that can break down signals and codes and they’ll have the signs before you even get out there on the mound,” Verlander said.
“It’s not about gamesmanship anymore. It used to be, ‘Hey, if you can get my signs, good for you.’ In the past, if a guy on second (base) was able to decipher it on a few pitches, I guess that was kind of part of the game. I think it’s a different level now. It’s not good.”
Quote from Justin Verlander, Courtesy of mlive.com
Knowing what we know now, he was right on target. Sign stealing using technology has definitely become a major problem. He goes on to discuss the constant changing of signs, how complex they have become, and how it influences rhythm for the pitcher and the catcher.
Sign stealing must be a topic he is very passionate about, or at least one I would be passionate about if I were a pitcher. I can’t imagine he was perfectly okay knowing that members of his team were doing the very thing he spoke out against. Especially when it runs the risk of affecting his future and his reputation as a player.
Why Hasn’t Verlander Commented on the Astros Cheating?
None of the Astros have commented on the cheating, except for Bregman and Altuve, but I wouldn’t call what they said an official comment. It sounded more like something temporary, scripted for them by the league.
Verlander, along with other Astros players, are probably not allowed to comment on the scandal. They may be able to release individual statements after MLB concludes all their investigations, but we will have to wait and see. The last thing MLB needs right now is several members of the 2017 Astros coming forward accusing one another and telling different stories. And I would imagine the majority of that team just wants to move past this already.
If you think Verlander should have said something to MLB or gone public with the information about his teammates during the 2017 season, try putting yourself in his position. He just joined a new team, and they already had this system of cheating set up. From what we know based on the Commissioner’s report, manager AJ Hinch had tried several times to stop the hitters from setting up the screen by speaking to them and by damaging the monitor. If the players who were cheating did not listen to their manager, why would they listen to a pitcher who just joined the team?
Trevor Bauer’s Accusations
Two years ago, Trevor Bauer (Reds Pitcher) commented on how Astros pitchers were improving their spin rate by a couple hundred rpm “overnight”, implying that pine tar or another illegal substance was being used to help. I’ve seen a lot of people bringing these comments back to light, using the rational of ‘if the Astros hitters were cheating, the pitchers probably were too’.
Looking at just Justin Verlander’s numbers over the years, I don’t think Trevor Bauer was specifically talking about him:
- Verlander average rpm in 2016: 2,538 rpm
- Verlander in 2017 (including postseason) after joining Houston: 2,569 rpm
- Verlander average rpm in 2019: 2,578 rpm
First of all, increasing spin rate by 40 rpm (especially over the course of 3 years) is not significant. Also important to note here is that Justin Verlander had core muscle surgery in 2014, but the recovery back to his full mechanics and capability lasted at least a year after that. This might have aided the appearance of his spin rate magically jumping when he arrived to Houston.
I’m not saying that Trevor Bauer’s accusations have no merit, but in this particular case I don’t think Verlander had any illegal extra help. What Trevor Bauer says on his Twitter is very interesting though, and is worth taking a read.
In this tweet, he is following up on his comments from 2 years ago, suggesting a very specific formula could be used to aid pitchers:
In this tweet he’s weighing in on a comment from “Beltran’s Niece” (alleged burner account), claiming the person writing the tweets is telling the truth:
Don’t Let the Actions of the Hitters Influence Your Opinion of the Pitchers
Even though the ability of certain Astros hitters are being questioned, the pitchers really did not benefit from the cheating scandal game to game. Justin Verlander is still a phenomenal pitcher, and deserves to be treated as such. It’s unfortunate for him and other players on the 2017 team who may have disapproved of their teammates’ actions. Now everyone has to suffer the repercussions.