The Detroit Tigers were on hand today to watch Justin Verlander throw and it went exactly as you may have expected.
Justin Verlander held a workout down in Florida today in front of what was reported, 15 to 20 teams, and the Detroit Tigers happened to be one of them.
Then just 14 months after having Tommy John surgery, Joel Sherman reported that Verlander was throwing between 94-97 MPH at the age of 38 years old.
In one study, the average time for a pitcher to return from Tommy John surgery is around 13 months, with a reduction in spin on their fastball and slider, and in certain cases, it takes almost two full seasons before you see velocity come back (an example of this on the Detroit Tigers is Michael Fulmer) so to see it so quickly is quite impressive.
Everyone is rooting for a Detroit homecoming
We have had a few members of the MCB team want Justin Verlander to come back to Detroit. Heck, Miguel Cabrera took to social media to want Verlander to come back home.
However, from what the experts have predicted, the spots in which they have Verlander landing varies.
- NY Post: one year, $20 million dollars to the Yankees (shocker)
- Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com: He and Max Scherzer to the Giants.
- MLB Trade Rumors: Two writers said the Giants and one said the Braves. The Giants built their rotation in free agency last season so it makes sense why this prediction is going around.
- SI.com: They went for “Best Fit” and they said the Tigers would be the best fit for him.
The Angels were also predicted as a landing spot for Verlander. There are numerous possibilities for Verlander as many teams need pitching. We all know his love for the city of Detroit and the Tigers but it really depends on what he wants to do and if the Tigers do sign him, they would have forfeit a draft pick as Houston has extended him a qualifying offer.
What is pretty clear is that every Detroit Tigers fan wants him to come back and retire as a Tiger as he is one of the best if not the best pitchers to ever wear the old English D. We shall see what happens next.