GGOATRANK
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Baseball · Pitcher · United States

Justin Verlander

2005–present · Three Cy Youngs, an MVP season in 2011 and two World Series titles.

Active
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
83.8
Cultural & brand footprint 50/100 · total legacy 77.7
Cy Young Awards
3
League MVP awards
1
World Series titles
2
Career strikeouts
3,400
No-hitters
3

Category profile

Dominance
84
Peak
92
Longevity
90
Honours
88
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Home runs per season

SeasonHome runs per seasonShare of career
20063.63
20073.66
20084.84
20093.45
20103.37
20112.4
20122.64
20133.46
20144.54
20153.38
20163.04
20173.36
20182.52
20192.58
20203
20211.75
20223.22
20235.48
20243.85

Data sources

  • MLB
  • Baseball Reference
  • National Baseball Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Justin Verlander ranks #25 in Baseball

Justin Verlander ranks 25th among Baseball athletes on GOAT Rank and 324th of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 88.8 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 84, Peak 92, Longevity 90, Honours 88, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Baseball reference universe of 262 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 2005–present with 19 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 2023, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes cy young awards 3, league mvp awards 1, world series titles 2, career strikeouts 3400.

Immediately ahead sits Al Kaline on 88.3, a gap of -0.5 points. Directly behind is Ichiro Suzuki on 88.3. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Justin Verlander GOAT Score explained

Dominance84/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Verlander stood above the field while competing. Scored 84/100 against the full Baseball cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 2023. Scored 92/100.
Longevity90/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 21 years of competition and 19 recorded seasons. Scored 90/100.
Honours88/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 88/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Justin Verlander — frequently asked

Is Justin Verlander the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Justin Verlander ranks 25th in Baseball with a GOAT Score of 88.8, behind Hank Aaron on 93.7.
What is Justin Verlander's GOAT Score?
88.8 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 84 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 90 (20%), Honours 88 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Justin Verlander rank all time?
324th of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 25th within Baseball.
Justin Verlander vs Al Kaline: who ranks higher?
Justin Verlander, on 88.8 against Al Kaline's 88.3 — a margin of 0.5 points.
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