Detroit Tigers 2016 Review: Justin Verlander

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander returned to ace form during the 2016 campaign. He could very well end up winning a second Cy Young award. Here’s a review of Verlander’s efforts last season.

Detroit Tigers fans are used to seeing Justin Verlander dominate opposing hitters.

From his first full season in the Majors in 2006 to 2013, Verlander complied 137 wins while pitching to a 3.38 ERA and a 3.39 FIP in 1760.2 innings pitched. He also added 1664 strikeouts over the same span.

During the same span, the future Hall of Famer allowed just 2.8 walks and 0.8 home runs per nine innings—all the while compiling a stellar 40.9 WAR.

Due to all that success, the 2014 season was concerning for Tigers fans. Verlander’s ERA jumped to 4.54 as he allowed the most earned runs in the league. 15 wins and a 3.74 FIP improved the stat line, but Verlander wasn’t the same pitcher who won the MVP award.

Fast forward to 2016 and Justin Verlander is back to dominating opposing hitters. In fact, the starter’s 254 strikeouts in 2016 were four more than he had when he claimed both the MVP and the Cy Young award back in 2011.

Here’s a look back at the 33-year-old’s 2016 season—the “#MustSeeJV” hashtag certainly applies.

2016 Stats

Simply put, Verlander was excellent regardless of what stat is used to judge his season.

The starter won 16 of his 34 starts, throwing 227.2 innings. Over those 227.2 innings, Verlander struck out 10.04 batters per nine innings while walking just 2.25 per nine frames. His 254 total strikeouts led the league.

In addition, the veteran held opposing batters to a .204 batting average and a tidy 1.00 WHIP.

He didn’t just excel in preventing base runners, Verlander put up outstanding run-prevention numbers with a 3.04 ERA, a 3.42 SIERA, a 3.48 FIP and a 3.78 xFIP.

All told, the longtime Tiger led Detroit’s starters in just about every major pitching category. Only Michael Fulmer and Mike Pelfrey allowed fewer home runs per nine innings. That was it.

From WHIP to strikeout percentage to SIERA, Verlander led the charge for Detroit.

Best Stretch

While it was a particularly long stretch, the former first-round pick was dominant after the calendar turned to July.

From the second of July through October 2^nd, Verlander pitched to a miniscule 1.98 ERA and a .239 on-base percentage against while striking out 147 batters in 123 innings. Perhaps most importantly, the Tigers won 11 of his 18 starts during the stretch.

Justin Verlander, 2016 Cy Young Winner?

While the Tigers didn’t reach the postseason in 2016, Justin Verlander could very well take home another Cy Young award.

Verlander finished at the top, or near the top of the league in most pitching stats. These included strikeouts (first), WHIP (first), WAR (tied for first) SIERA (second), ERA (second), innings pitched, strikeouts per nine innings (third), FIP (fourth), walks per nine innings (ninth) and xFIP (11^th).

Want more in-depth stats? You’ve got them

Detroit’s ace ranked fifth in swinging strike percentage and seventh in O-Swing percentage (O-Swing percentage looks at swings at pitches outside the strike zone).

2016 vs 2011

Back in 2011, Verlander took home both the Cy Young award and the MVP award. His numbers this season very closely resemble those form his award-winning campaign.

2011 Stats

6.4 WAR, 251 innings pitched, 2.98 SIERA, 0.920 WHIP, nine strikeouts per nine innings, two walks per nine innings, 10.4 swinging strike percentage and a 33.3 O-swing percentage.

2016 Stats

5.2 WAR, 227.2 innings pitched, 3.42 SIERA, 1.00 WHIP, 10.04 strikeouts per nine innings, 2.25 walks per nine innings, 12 swinging strike percentage and a 34.3 O-Swing percentage.

Next: Nine Under the Radar Prospects to Keep an Eye on in 2017

The scary thing—at least for opposing hitters—is that Verlander continues to improve. His swinging strike percentage represented a career-best in 2016, while his O-Swing percentage was the second-best mark in his career.