Selected in the 14th round (No. 426) of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers out of Old Dominion University... spent five seasons in the Minors with the Tigers from 2013-17, earning All-Star honors in 2013 and 2015 and reaching Class A Advanced Lakeland before Detroit released the outfielder in June 2017... appeared in 422 career games, hitting .225 with 18 homers, 176 RBIs and 16 steals... his older brother, Justin Verlander, also played at Old Dominion, was drafted by the Tigers as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 Draft and played for Detroit from 2005-2017 before joining the Houston Astros, capturing World Series rings in 2017 and 2022 and Cy Young Awards in 2011, 2019 and 2022; Justin was the 2006 American League Rookie of the Year, won the AL MVP and Triple Crown in 2011 and was voted to nine All-Star teams as of 2022. He is the only player with multiple World Series championships, an MVP Award, a Rookie of the Year Award and three Cy Young Awards on his resume.
Ben Verlander was a New York-Penn League All-Star with Connecticut in 2013 and was selected to the Florida State League All-Star Game in 2015 while with Lakeland... he played first base and outfield at Old Dominion from 2011-13 after initially starting as a pitcher in 2011, when he threw 31 2/3 innings in 21 games... he continued to pitch in 2012, striking out seven in 17 1/3 frames... established himself primarily as a hitter by 2013 when he was voted the Team MVP, a Third Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers and a First Team All-Region by ABCA... he majored in Communications with a Minor in Sports Management... prior to ODU, Verlander hit .440 with a 1.26 ERA at Goochland High School where he was selected the team MVP in offense and defense, was named the James River District Player of the Year, was a First Team All-District selection and an VHSL All-Star selection and All-Region.
Following his Minor League career, Verlander transitioned to media and a position as an MLB analyst for FOX Sports... he also hosts the "Flippin' Bats" podcast
Single-A Affiliate
