Justin Verlander was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft and made his debut for the Detroit Tigers just 13 months later. 

Apparently, he made a lot of improvement in that short period.

"He came out of college a total s--tshow, and then he developed," an executive told Marc Carig and Andy McCullough of The Athletic.

The numbers don't really bear out the executive's assessment. Verlander won Rookie of the Year in his first full MLB season and was top-10 in AL Cy Young voting each of his first two years. While Verlander's fourth year in the league was the worst of his MLB career, going 11-17 with a 4.84 ERA, it was more of a one-season anomaly than any sign he was a "s--tshow."

Verlander rebounded to make the All-Star team each of the next five seasons, including an MVP-Cy Young combo in 2011. It's clear Verlander improved as his MLB career progressed, but it's hard to find any real evidence he was some broken arm in desperate need of fixing.

Instead, Verlander's career stands out as a player who lived up to and even surpassed expectations based on his draft slot. He rocketed up the minors, was instantly effective upon his arrival in the bigs and became a standout ace. It's hard to find a better success story, particularly among pitchers.