Future Hall of Fame Pitcher Makes San Francisco Giants Spring Training Debut

A long time Major League veteran made his first appearance for the San Francisco Giants during spring training.

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants brought in future first ballot Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander this offseason. He is a three-time Cy Young award winner and the active leader in many categories, including wins and strikeouts. He turned 42 years old last week while heading towards his 20th Major League campaign.

The Giants have a realistic path to playoff contention in a loaded National League West. Bringing in a veteran pitcher to sit in the middle of the rotation makes sense for a team in their position. The big question is what does Verlander have left in the tank?

Verlander made his first live appearance for San Francisco on Monday against the Colorado Rockies. His first pitch resulted in a fly out to right field off the bat of Rockies leadoff hitter Zac Veen. Two hitters later Verlander gave up a home run to Colorado designated hitter Michael Toglia.

The Giants' ageless wonder threw two innings overall, walking one and striking out another. Toglia's homer was the only hit and run Verlander allowed.

The veteran's velocity topped out just shy of 96 mph, according to Giants beat reporter Justice de los Santos of Mercury News. That's in line with Verlander's average four-seamer velocity since 2020, which includes his last Cy Young campaign in 2022.

The opposing starter, Rockies pitcher Chase Dollander, was just four years old when Verlander made his Major League debut in 2005. The game between these two division rivals ended in a 2-2 tie.

No one should expect Verlander to contend for a fourth Cy Young this season. He's projected to pitch in the middle of San Francisco's rotation, making reliability a more realistic goal.

However, pitching isn't his only value add for the Giants, because he can help shape the team's culture. There are few active pitchers that even come close to the future Hall of Famers' resume. That in itself brings value, as young players can learn from his habits and process over the course of the season. In some ways, he's like having an extra coach on staff.

Long ago Nolan Ryan pitched until he was 46 years old. He led the league in ERA when he was 40, while throwing two no hitters after crossing that age threshold. Ryan exceeded a 5.0 bWAR in three of the seven years he pitched after crossing 40 years of age.

No one can be compared to Ryan, but Verlander is as close as it gets. He's only thrown two innings in spring training, but the early signs are encouraging that he can have a productive year for San Francisco.