SAN FRANCISCO -- There are very few, if any, current MLB players with a greater understanding of legacy than Justin Verlander. The right-hander will go into the Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible and you can make the case that two different organizations -- the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros -- should retire his number. On a Zoom call with local reporters Monday, Verlander smiled and hinted at his desire to pitch long enough to join the 300-win club.
Verlander has left his mark as No. 35 over the past two decades, but he also knows that another player did so in San Francisco long before he agreed to a one-year contract, which is why he's considering a change for the first time since 2005.
Verlander said he has not yet decided if he will wear No. 35 this season and plans to talk to Brandon Crawford before making a decision. Buster Posey, Crawford's close friend and Verlander's new boss, reached out to Crawford recently and Verlander said the shortstop provided his blessing. But Verlander still is "putting a lot of thought into this" and he asked on a Zoom call Monday how the fans might feel about him sticking to No. 35.
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"I don't want to come in on a bad foot," he said, laughing. "I would love the opportunity to wear my number with the San Francisco Giants. I understand the magnitude of the franchise -- it's one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball so to get to wear your number for that franchise is pretty cool, but at the same time if there's another player who has come along and done something special ... this is an interesting question, and I really don't have the answer yet.
"I'm hopeful that when I speak with Brandon, I'll get a little more clarity. It's different hearing it from Buster and (him) saying, 'Hey, I spoke to Brandon and he gave his okay.' I don't know, I just want to talk to (Crawford) person-to-person and really try to get a feel for it. I can pivot one way or the other."
Verlander has worn No. 35 his whole career, with the exception of his rookie year, when he was No. 59. As a rookie in San Francisco a few years later, Crawford was given No. 35 by clubhouse manager Mike Murphy, who liked that previous Giants shortstops had worn the number. Murphy passed on a rule that current clubhouse manager Brad Grems also follows: When a marquee player leaves the organization, his number is put aside for at least one year.
Nobody wore No. 35 last year as Crawford finished out his career in St. Louis, but the Giants have not made a final decision on whether they will retire the number for good at some point. The organization officially has retired 10 numbers, but others -- like No. 40 and No. 55 -- are unofficially off-limits for now. It's expected that Posey's No. 28 and Bruce Bochy's No. 15 will be the next two to go up on the wall.
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During his own lengthy career, Crawford was friendlier with superstars on other teams than anyone else on the Giants, and he has always had an appreciation for the history of the game, so it's not a surprise that he might be up for Verlander wearing his number. It's possible the Giants find a middle ground, too.
If the organization does want to retire No. 35 for good, they could still do so even if Verlander wants to wear the number as long as he's in orange and black. Crawford played with several players who wore No. 22 before Will Clark's number was officially retired three years ago.