Plus: Whitley's injury setback, more prospect news
The second act of Justin Verlander's career as a member of the Astros has been nothing short of remarkable. Verlander, at age 39, is among the front-runners for the American League Cy Young Award at the All-Star break – an unprecedented feat for someone who missed all last season following Tommy John surgery. Since coming to the Astros in the final minutes before the Trade Deadline in 2017, Verlander has taken his career to new heights. He won a World Series, took home his second Cy Young while finishing second once, reached 3,000 career strikeouts, was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 AL Championship Series and threw his third career no-hitter. In 91 career starts with the Astros in the regular season, Verlander is 55-18 with a 2.35 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. Verlander had a strong Hall of Fame resume when he came to the Astros after pitching 13 years in Detroit, where he had a 3.49 career ERA with the Tigers in 380 starts, but he's solidified his status as one of this generation's best arms while playing for Houston. Verlander has said repeatedly he wants to pitch until he's 45 years old – he'll turn 40 in February – and he may need to if he wants to reach 300 career wins. He's sitting at 238 wins and could be one of the last pitchers to reach 300 if he can get there. But can he do it in a Houston uniform? Verlander signed a one-year, $25-million contract last year with an option for the 2023 season. If Verlander throws 130 innings this year – a certainty considering he's currently at 109 1/3 innings – he can choose to return to the Astros next year for $25 million or opt out. If he has a second half that's anywhere close to what he did in the first half, he's likely to get more in free agency – even as a 40-year-old. |
"You never know what the future holds, and you'd like to," Verlander said Monday during his media availability at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. "I think one thing this game has taught me is put your head down, work hard and whatever happens, happens. You can't think about the what-ifs or if-nots or whatever. You do the best you can every five days, or six days, or on occasion seven or eight now. Where the chips fall, they may." Verlander and owner Jim Crane are extremely close, and Crane will undoubtedly want him back in Houston. The Astros' window of contention is very much wide open and figures to be so for at least the next few years and having Verlander lead the pitching staff would be a wise investment. Beyond what he brings on the field, Verlander's presence has been impactful. Remember when earlier this year he had a talk with veteran pitcher Jake Odorizzi and helped turn his season around? He's also helped mentor some of the younger pitchers in the system, including top pitching prospect Hunter Brown, who grew up in Detroit and idolized Verlander. "If this is the end of my run with Houston, it's been nothing short of incredible," Verlander said. "The people, the city and the team and my teammates have been a blessing. If it's not the end, it's also a blessing." |
CENTER OF ATTENTION It's no secret the Astros haven't been getting strong production in center field so far this season, ranking 24th among the 30 teams in OPS production (.593) at the position. Chas McCormick and Jose Siri split time in center for the first three months before Jake Meyers returned from shoulder surgery in late June and made the bulk of the starts. Meyers had a nine-game hitting streak from June 30-July 10 but went into the All-Star break in a 1-for-19 slump. With the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline approaching, the Astros figure to be in the market for a backup catcher, a bullpen arm or two and another bat. There could be opportunities for playing time in left field, where starter Michael Brantley is injured, and perhaps in center field. The Astros also rank 24th in OPS (.684) at first base, where Yuli Gurriel has underperformed. The Astros drafted a pair of center fielders with their first two picks in Sunday's MLB Draft – Tennessee's Drew Gilbert at No. 28 overall and Oregon State's Jacob Melton at 64 overall. Of course, the Astros didn't draft for positional need in the big leagues, considering Gilbert and Melton won't reach the Major Leagues until 2023 at the earliest, but Houston is still searching for consistent production in center since losing George Springer in free agency following the '20 season. |
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TRIVIA Astros pitcher Framber Valdez has pitched 16 consecutive quality starts, which is defined as throwing at least six innings and giving up three earned runs or fewer. Which pitcher holds the club record for most consecutive quality starts? A.) Don Wilson B.) Justin Verlander C.) Gerrit Cole D.) Mike Scott |
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THIS WEEK IN ASTROS HISTORY July 20, 2003 Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell hit his 400th career homer in a 6-3 win over the Reds in Cincinnati. Bagwell homered twice in the game, with his second homer (off Danny Graves) putting him in elite company. He became the 35th player in Major League history to hit 400 homers. Bagwell retired with 449 homers – a franchise record. |
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| TRIVIA ANSWER D.) Mike Scott Scott, during his remarkable 1986 season in which he won the National League Cy Young Award, had 20 consecutive quality starts from May 9-Aug. 8. Scott went 18-10 with a 2.22 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and had 306 strikeouts in 275 1/3 innings. Of his 37 starts, 32 were quality starts, including seven complete games (five shutouts). |
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