Justin Verlander had a down year in 2014, and that may have had a lot to do with a core injury that prevented him from working out intensely during the offseason. This winter, the Detroit Tigers pitcher has been making up for lost time.
According to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, Verlander has already been throwing two bullpen sessions a week. He has also put on 20 pounds of muscle since the end of last season.
“Last year I hadn’t even picked up a ball at this point,” Verlander said.
Verlander had surgery to repair some core muscles last January. The rehab period from that prevented him from taking part in his usual conditioning and weight-training regimen. Verlander says all that resulted in poor throwing mechanics during a season in which he went 15-12 with a 4.54 ERA. That was easily his worst year since 2008.
After throwing a bullpen session on Friday, Verlander said he feels “great.” We know one particular person who has been making his personal life fantastic. Hopefully the Tigers ace can round back into form on the mound.
