Verlander Gains About 25 Pounds, Opens Up About Impact Of Surgery On Last Season
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - The 2014 numbers put up by Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander convinced many fans that the former Cy Young Award winner and MVP has hit the downhill stretch of his career, that age and mileage have taken their toll on him, that Verlander will never again be dominant on the mound.
Concern is warranted; in the 2014 season, Verlander recorded an ERA of 4.54, his highest since 2008. He pitched 206 innings, his fewest since 2008. His 104 earned runs allowed were the most since his 2008 season, and he tallied only 159 strikeouts, his fewest since 2009, the first full season of his career.
Verlander would rather not talk about how much of his struggles could be attributed to the core muscle surgery he underwent in January of last year. He said he does not want to be perceived as making excuses, but acknowledged the procedure threw a wrench in his offseason routine a year ago.
"I just didn't have time after surgery," Verlander said. "It was surgery, rehab to be able to pitch. It wasn't rehab to get your body right; it was rehab to be able to go out and do my job, and that's what I did. I got ready and I pitched.
"Whether it robbed me of some power or control, all of the above, maybe - but I was out there pitching," Verlander added. "I needed to do that. I wish I was better; I wasn't. Nothing I can do about it now."
This offseason has been a much more productive one for Verlander. Following his surgery, he weighed 210 pounds. Hitting the weight room hard this offseason, he has added muscle and now weighs 236 or 237, which puts him back where he was before surgery. Verlander has also spent significant time in therapy.
The initial assessment from his therapist was harsh but - at least for the pitcher - not unexpected.
"She was shocked that I pitched, honestly," Verlander said. "She was shocked that I was able to pitch and didn't hurt myself. My range of motion was horrible. I was stuck, my hips were jacked up, I had no mobility in my body whatsoever. It was funny, I sat down with a couple of them, and I'm sitting down addressing my surgery and telling them everything that had happened, and without provocation, two of the therapists I talked to said, 'Did your shoulder bother you?' and they didn't really know anything about pitching, they just kind of know the body, and I'm like, 'Well, funny enough, I missed the first start of my career, and yeah, it bothered me.' And they were like, 'Yeah, it doesn't surprise me at all.' They explained to me - I couldn't even explain it in layman's terms."
Verlander also saw a therapist following his 2008 season, the worst of his career. The way he bounced back in 2009 - he threw more innings and recorded a better ERA and more strikeouts than he ever had before - was part of what prompted him to go that route again this offseason.
"In 2008 my velocity was down, and I went and saw a therapist and worked on my thoracic movement, opening up my chest, and came back the next year and was as good as ever," Verlander said. "Hoping that's the same thing."
Between time in therapy and time in the weight room, Verlander feels well prepared for spring training and looks forward to seeing how that readiness translates to the field.
"I feel better than I have in three or four years," Verlander said. "I had no issues starting to warm up, the ball's coming out of my hand as good as I've seen it in a while. I'm excited to start throwing off the mound. I'm excited to get into spring training and see how it feels against hitters. I'm genuinely excited."
