(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Wins Above Replacement, or WAR, is a useful stat to assess how much a pitcher, or a player, has contributed to his team relative to a replacement-level player.
The higher the WAR is, the better the pitcher is.
Since WAR is a cumulative stat, its highest earners and leaders are usually workhorses who are also very good at what they do.
When it comes to talented workhorses, it’s very hard to beat Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander.
“WAR leaders among pitchers to debut in 2004 or later. @MLBNetwork just named Justin the best pitcher of the generation,” MLB analyst Ben Verlander tweeted, with the graphic showing his brother leading with 81.3 WAR.
WAR leaders among pitchers to debut in 2004 or later @MLBNetwork just named Justin the best pitcher of the generation pic.twitter.com/6pkUrnIJ0C
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) April 19, 2024
Ben’s assessment of “best pitcher of the generation” is definitely up for debate because Clayton Kershaw appears second on the list with 76.8 WAR and made his debut a few years later than Verlander.
In any case, what Verlander has accomplished since making his MLB debut is nothing short of amazing.
He has won three Cy Young awards and even an MVP award, plus several additional accolades.
His 3.24 career ERA and 257 wins, plus the aforementioned hardware, make him a shoo-in Hall of Famer five years after he announces his retirement.
That day appears to be far away, still, since he enjoys pitching and is still very good at it.
He is about to make his return to the Astros rotation after some shoulder issues forced him to open the year on the injured list.
He is already 41, but posted a rock-solid 3.22 ERA last year and is the closest thing to “Benjamin Button” MLB has: he seems to be getting better and younger with time.
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