Justin Verlander very recently turned 42 years old prior to the start of his 20th season in Major League Baseball. Believe it or not, the nine-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion is still throwing filth.
He completely embarrassed Jhonny Level at Spring Training over the weekend!
Level, the No. 6-ranked prospect in the San Francisco Giants system, was born in 2007. The Venezuelan shortstop was born just one month before Verlander began his third MLB season with the Detroit Tigers, five months after he pitched in the World Series. In all seriousness, the latter is actually old enough to be the father of the former and have it make sense.
Giants signed SS/SHH Jhonny Level (16.9Y, 5'10" 154, Barcelona, Venezuela) to an IFA contract. 1.3M bonus. #44 on MLB Pipeline’s top 50. Athletic, feel for contact, power from both sides, strong arm.
— GPT (@giantsprospects) January 16, 2024
MLB Pipeline: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50 pic.twitter.com/U4K2gD3pmG
Level signed with the Giants as the organization’s top player in the 2024 international signing class. He played last season in the Dominican Summer League and very quickly turned heads by slashing .275/.393/.517 with a .909 OPS. His 16.7% strikeout rate also paired nicely with a 14.0% walk rate.
Jhonny Level was 3 for 5 with a double and a walk in Monday’s DSL Semifinal Game Two victory over the Angels pic.twitter.com/1WU62UuSOB
— SFGProspects (@SFGProspects) August 27, 2024
All of this goes to say that San Francisco is excited about the future of Jhonny Level. That does not mean he is anywhere close to ready for The Bigs. In fact, Saturday’s at-bat against a legend would prove otherwise! Verlander took him down on three diabolical pitches in less than 60 seconds.
The 42-year-old got the 17-year-old to swing at a changeup, look at a curveball, and whiff at a fastball. Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight!
42-year-old Justin Verlander vs. 17-year-old Jhonny Level.
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) March 1, 2025
Changeup, curveball, fastball.
Good morning, good afternoon, good night. pic.twitter.com/UPSh1kkOkj
Throwing three different pitches in a backwards sequence against a teenage is pure evil in the best way. Some might consider it a legal form of child abuse. I consider it to be more of a reminder that the older generation still runs this league. The youth might be coming but they are not in the driver’s seat— yet…
Jhonny Level got his first opportunity to face one of the greatest pitchers of all-time and very quickly returned to the dugout. Justin Verlander humbled him on three pitches. Sit down, young man!