Ben Verlander

Benjamin Corey Verlander was born on January 31, 1992, in Maidens, VA. His athletic career began at Goochland High School, where he achieved offensive and defensive MVP honors, was named James River District Player of the Year, and earned First Team All-District and VHSL All-Star selections. He attended Old Dominion University, where he initially pitched from 2011 to 2012 before focusing on hitting. In 2013, he was named 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.

Verlander was selected in the 14th round (No. 426) of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He spent five seasons in the Minor Leagues with the Tigers from 2013 to 2017. During his minor league career, he earned All-Star honors in 2013 with the Connecticut Tigers in the New York-Penn League and in 2015 with the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League. He played 422 career games, recording a .225 batting average with 18 home runs, 176 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. His professional playing career concluded in June 2017 when he was released by the Detroit Tigers organization.

Following his baseball career, Ben Verlander transitioned into media. He became an MLB analyst for FOX Sports and launched the “Flippin’ Bats” podcast, a FOX Sports production. In this role, Verlander provides analysis and commentary on Major League Baseball, engaging with a broad audience through digital platforms and social media.