Really wanted him to get to 300. Really wanted him to do it here. All he saw were dollars signs. Great career though and i hope he retires with an Astros cap in the hall.
He'll go in as a Tiger. More seasons and accomplishments despite the world series here. Should the Astros retire his number though?
Will always remember he dominated us summer '17, then dominated for us 2 months later. Glad he achieved individually as much as he did with the franchise -- 2 CYAs, LCS MVP, and the no-no.
JV could very well be the last pitcher ever to get 250 wins, unless they change the rules. Sixteen seasons of 150+ innings; that probably never happens again either. 2017 was special and JV was a total badass for the Astros from 2017-2019, then was dominant again in 2022 at age 39 coming off major surgery. A special player and last of a dying breed. Also his wife’s t***.
Wouldn't need to see Kate or Justin again if Astros cap. JV will finish with 3x career games with Detroit than Astros, plus he started there. I wouldn't blame JV.
We were lucky to see one of the greatest of all time pitch in an Astros uniform (while he was still in his prime). Verlander won three Cy Young awards and two were with the Astros. Blessed.
JV knows the Astros unlocked something in him while everybody was thinking he was on the decline prior to 2017 (including himself). This is the antithesis to another former Astros pitcher that got unlocked/upgraded (and made a **** ton more money after, despite being dumped as a disappointing former #1 pick). JV's been far more outspoken in that regard, downright "thankful", and was a big part of why he was willing to re-up or authorize reacquisitions multiple times (even though he easily could have cashed in the sucess from 2017-2018 and played it out elsewhere). I look at it as he was with the team from 2017-2023, minus the 1 full calendar year lost due to TJS. That ends up adding up to more years than any other SP in this golden era, even though he was not developed by Houston (I guess Kuechel is close). Even Mets fans don't remember his stint there, lol (not to mention the acquired #1 and #2 prospects from the Astros system fizzled out). The CYA in 2022 (with a WS team) was a true HOF-type comeback from injury performance... even more appreciated when you see the last 2 years of Astros pitchers who have had TJS and don't come back with the same gusto. The special ones have that extra drive, mentality, and killer instinct to make those sorts of career renaissance's (not to mention god-given arms).
I think some of this was circumstantial due to his age. His 2016 was one of the best of his career and on par with his 2018, so he wasn't necessarily in decline. He was just not having a good season in 2017. I also think if someone offered him $300MM and 10 years and/or it was his first big contract, he would have jumped on it and never gone on about how the Astros fixed him. It's much easier to do when you've already made a ton of money and the team offers you a competitive contract. Then you can stick around and talk about how awesome they are. Winning your first WS and building great memories there doesn't hurt either. Similarly, if Cole had gotten a monster contract from the Astros, he's likely talking about how great the trade was for him and how it rejuvenated his career, etc. But can't really do that when you join another team.
I can understand why Verlander kept pitching. He won his last Cy Young less than four years ago. He was probably thinking the decline wouldn’t be as fast as it was. If he could just get over this injury, he’d have some success, grind out those last few wins. But the injuries just never stopped. His bones collapsed.
Cumulative pitching fwar for the Astros, 2015-2024: 1. Verlander 22.2 2. Framber 16.5 3. McCullers 14.8 4. Keuchel 13.6 5. Cole 13.4 Verlander pretty much stands alone among Astros pitchers during the golden era. There’s a big gap after those 5 guys. It’s a shame they only had CFM for 2 seasons; he put up another 15 fwar over the 5 seasons after he left the Astros.
