Mets' Justin Verlander explains 'first normal spring since 2019,' why it feels like going to a new high school

Justin Verlander may be entering his 18th big league season, but the three-time Cy Young Award winner said Sunday from Mets camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla., that it's his "first normal spring since 2019" following the delayed start in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then missing all of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

"Yeah, I've kind of forgotten exactly where I'm supposed to be," Verlander said. "First normal spring since 2019 for me. I've asked a lot of, like my agent and old pitching coaches, like, 'Hey, where was I at this time this year?' And I think I'm right where I want to be timing wise."

The 40-year-old was asked by reporters if there's a word he could use to describe the feeling of joining a new team and getting used to that new environment, as he compared it to going to a new high school where everyone already has their friend group. Verlander went on to say that he's prioritized getting to know teammates and help them as much as possible as he's gotten older.

"I don't know, it's difficult," Verlander said. "This is really my first time doing this, I mean this is my first time coming to a new team in spring training when everybody's getting back together and the routine is a little bit different, everyone's kind of going about their business. One word, no. It really does feel a lot like going to a new school, maybe a new high school not like a new elementary school. Everybody's kind of got their cliques, everybody knows each other and they're just trying to get to know you and I'm trying to get to know them. It's fun.

"I think the last few years if you've paid attention to at all what I've been saying, I've really taken a vested interest in trying to get to know my teammates, communicate better, and help guys as much as I can. I think taking that mindset into this is going to help make new friends, teammates get comfortable with me, me get comfortable with them. But spring training is difficult, there's so many guys in here ... we don't have a lot of BS time like we do during the season where we get there at two o'clock and everyone's hanging out on the couch, playing cards, doing whatever. We don't have a lot of that now, everybody leaves and goes play golf."

The two-time World Series champ threw live batting practice to hitters that were swinging for the first time on Sunday, and explained what is the most important thing he can take from those sessions.

"Well I mean number one is extending myself a little bit, getting some close to game reps," Verlander said. "The up and down is important. I feel like my bullpens I intentionally go pretty hard and fast, usually rep out something like 50-55 pitches before I ever take a game mound. Just throwing isn't a problem for me, knock on wood. But the up and down is something that you need to get used to, sitting, letting your body cool down, getting back up.

"That and game speed timing is most important, well obviously, sorry, health is most important. But then getting your timing to game speed is something that can only come with game reps."

Verlander mentioned that he's "been working hard" to incorporate a changeup into his pitching repertoire more this season after using it a bit during his time with the Houston Astros.

"I don't know -- I mean, I've been working hard on my changeup," Verlander said. "Ideally, I'd like to be able to throw that a little bit more. But I can't really answer that at this point, besides the changeup mixing it in a little bit more, everything else should be about the same."

He later added: "Well, I worked at it, so I want to use it. I don't want to waste my time."

One of the new rule changes to baseball this season is the pitch clock, which gives pitchers 15 seconds to throw when no one is on base and 20 seconds when there is a baserunner. Verlander said he didn't even realize it until midway through his live BP session, but it was not a problem for him once he looked at the clock.

"Yeah, fine -- I started going about my business and didn't even pay attention to it and then all of a sudden I was like, 'Oh, yeah, I've got this clock thing.' So I looked up. Almost every time I was about ready and I had plenty of time," Verlander said. "Much like I thought would happen, it wasn't much of an issue for me."

Verlander won his third Cy Young Award last year with the Astros after missing all of the 2021 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and spoke to reporters about how he feels now two-plus years removed from surgery. He noted that he started throwing during the winter and "this spring training has felt largely normal" so far.

"I do feel different," Verlander said. "Last year, pretty much the whole season, I still viewed it as an extension of my rehab. You know I wasn't technically still in that rehab window. But your first season back, specifically at the very beginning of the season my elbow got a bit sore my first few starts. Not enough to freak me out, but it was like that my entire Tommy John process. Where you kind of go in chunks of effort and every time I went to a new effort level or new velocity or introduced new pitches, there was always a little bit of reaction where the elbow would get a little bit stiff or little swollen as I introduced a new stimulus.

"So that happened to me at the beginning of last season as well. I viewed that as like a flashing yellow in your car, like, 'Hey, don't be stupid and try to rush the beginning of the season and try to throw 120 pitches right out of the gate. It's just your body's way of saying, 'Hey, this is a new thing for me, let me get used to it.' And as the season went along, that got better and better. Really started feeling like normal.

"Again, I'm gonna knock on wood as I say this, this spring training has felt largely normal. I haven't had those reactions. I started throwing a tad earlier this spring, this winter, for that reason just in case that sprung up I was going to be prepared for it and have time and not feel like I was too late. Thank goodness -- so far, so good."