What young Giants pitchers hope to learn from Verlander this season

What young Giants pitchers hope to learn from Verlander this season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN JOSE — Justin Verlander’s on-field impact with the Giants likely will last just one season, but his influence on San Francisco’s young arms could last entire careers.

The Giants signed the three-time Cy Young Award winner to a one-year, $15 million contract earlier this month, and entering his 20th MLB season, the soon-to-be 42-year-old Verlander not only has an opportunity to prove he still has something left in the tank, but a chance to mentor a handful of young Giants pitchers who are expected to contribute to a crowded starting rotation throughout the 2025 season and for years to come.

One of those young arms is 23-year-old left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison, who made 23 starts for the Giants in 2024 and is looking to pick up a nugget or two from the future Hall of Famer.

“I think just to see how he goes about his daily routine, seeing what he needs,” Harrison told NBC Sports Bay Area at Giants Fan Fest on Jan. 18 in Napa. “I’m sure it’s different now, he’s a little older now, but I’m just going to pick his brain about what he did when he was younger. Routines here and there, his bullpen focuses, I’m going to be asking him everything, so hopefully he’s nice enough to let me know his secrets, but I’m sure he will. I’ve heard nothing but great things, really excited to have him.”

Verlander has pitched over 3,400 innings throughout his illustrious career, and that level of longevity on the mound is something Harrison and other young pitchers dream of achieving.

“That’s what we want to be,” Harrison said. “That’s what every pitcher that’s here right now wants to be. We want to be Justin Verlander still pitching at that age.”

Another potential mainstay in San Francisco’s rotation this season, whether he’s one of the initial five starters on Opening Day or not, is 23-year-old righty Hayden Birdsong, who showed flashes of brilliance in his up-and-down 16-start showcase last season.

Birdsong understands the addition of Verlander could bump him from the initial five-man rotation, but similar to Harrison, will waste no time picking Verlander’s brain whenever he can.

“I think it’s great, especially from a young guy standpoint,” Birdsong told NBC Sports Bay Area on Saturday at Giants Fan Fest in San Jose. “Obviously it doesn’t help my chances of being out there, but he’s a great vet, he’s a Hall of Famer. It would be cool to learn just little things, little things in the game. Not necessarily my pitches, but just how to play the game the right way like he’s done it, what, 20 years? It would be cool to learn how to last that long.

One Giants starting pitcher who perhaps could benefit the most from Verlander’s guide to pitching longevity is former reliever-turned-starter Jordan Hicks, who made the transition last offseason and recorded 20 starts before appearing to run out of gas midway through the summer.

Hicks is eager to learn as much as he can from Verlander, especially when it comes to mastering one pitch he threw just 5.4 percent of the time last season.

“For me, what I can learn the most from him, is his four-seam [fastball],” Hicks said on Jan. 18 in Napa. “Consistently hitting that to part of the zone, getting those swing and misses with the fastball, because I’ve got a sinker and it’s good for getting ground ball outs and stuff but when you need to miss a guy with a fastball, that’s the pitch I want to go to and he’s one of the best, he’s got one of the best ones throughout his career, and I’m really excited to pick his brain about that pitch.”

There’s a lot that Giants pitchers, regardless of their roles and ages, can learn from Verlander this season.

And with pitchers and catchers set to report in almost two weeks on Feb. 11, class soon will be in session.

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