Buster Olney, he of the New York Times-dotted resume and estimable baseball knowledge, has this little nugget of knowledge in his blog today: the Padres passed on Justin Verlander. Apparently, the Padres had the No. 1 pick in the 2004 MLB Draft, where Verlander was widely viewed as the best prospect on the board, but the current NL West leaders had doubts they'd be able to sign him. Ouch.
Instead, the Padres took local infielder Matt Bush, easily signed him - and watched him fall all over himself. Verlander only throws 102 MPH, won last year's AL Rookie of the Year, and pitched a 12-strikeout no-hitter yesterday. The Padres currently lead the NL in almost every pitching category, but can you imagine adding Justin Verlander to their rotation? Verlander, Jake Peavy and Chris Young would be unbeatable in a seven-game series.
That was the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers's lineup Verlander destroyed yesterday. The only teams in the NL with more firepower are the Mets, Cubs and Braves - all non-NL West teams. We suppose it's good, though, that the Tigers landed Verlander and the Padres shit the bed. Because without Verlander, the Tigers might not have made it to the Series last year, and the Cards might not have taken the trophy.
We'd feel awfully stupid wearing our Pujols jersey to work today if that had been the case. Congrats, Padres. Enjoy the day.
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