Justin Verlander

[Maron76]

Ok, Verlander is a stud! Maybe they should just give him the Cy Young now. At least 20 wins this season (19 as of tonight) and 2 NO NO's. Not only does he lead the American League in wins but secondary stats as well. Tonight was an off game for him and he still dominated. The number I am most impressed with is not his Strike Outs, it is his WHIP (Walks+Hits pre Inning Pitched) A WHIP of 1.000 is considered excellent, JV has a WHIP of 0.807, that is amazing! I know I am a Tiger fan so I was wondering what all the other baseball fans think.

[DQ1]

I agree he has definitely separated himself from Weaver & CC. Might as well through his name in the hat for MVP as well. You take him off this team & we are not even a .500 team! Cant say the same for Gonzo & RedSox or Grandy & Yankees.

[riazp]

Wow...someone has a mancrush on a certain detroit tigers pitcher

[FireDigger]

Verlander is definitely walking away with the Cy Young right now. Weaver was in the race until he got bombed in his last outing.

BTW, Verlander's WHIP is 0.878 which is still good enough for 28th all-time (10th best since 1960).

[TonyV]

I think the Cy Young award is a lock for him.He also makes the Tigers a dangerous team in any short series.It could be the year of the Tiger

[brutusthebuckeye]

The guy is filthy!!!!

I like to see him pitch....and im an Indians fan!!

[FireDigger]

Verlander is the king this year for sure. Its not even very close...Although, I must say that no pitcher ever deserves the MVP unless they do something crazy historic. Throwing very well once or twice a week is not enough to warrant most valuable player consideration.

I'm going to argue against the point that pitchers don't deserve to be in the MVP conversation since they don't play every day. A starting pitcher, although only pitches once every five days is involved in 100% of the game (for a complete game). Even if he goes five innings, that's over half of the game. A position player gets 4-5 at bats out of 35-45+ total ABs and some defensive duties. I'd say they are equally valuable, unfortunately, most writers and fans can't get around that point.

[Tarks]

Bautista will win the AL MVP this year. Verlander has had an amazing season so far no doubt. Both players could split the MVP as far as I'm concerned but I have a sneaky feeling it will go to Bautista.

[Professor Twain]

I was at that game last night where he manhandled the Rays. I'm impressed. He's been much more impressive than the NY and Red Sox pitchers who also enjoy outrageous run support.

[olotti]

Nice to see another Tiger fan here and yes if Verlander does not win the Cy Young this year it's an absolute crime.

[JohnnyC]

Another Tiger fan here. Been a loyal fan since I was a kid and saw then win the series in 68. Verlander most dominate pitcher for the tigers since Jack Morris.

[Maron76]

I have heard that argument before and I dont buy it. Facing 600 hitters vs. getting 600 at bats is 6 of one, half a dozen of another. A pitcher, by rule of the game, is inherently in a superior position to dominate hitters. A pitcher, even against the best hitters, will still get 65%-70% of them out.

A pitcher also only affects the single game he is pitching in, or the 35 a year he takes the bump in. While a hitter directly affects 150-162 games, albeait in a smaller role per game. A single dominant hitter is far more important to any team than a single dominant pitcher can be. A good recent example would be Pujols vs. Halladay. Just my opinion though.

Pitching makes or breaks a team, period. If JV was having a league average year you could take away 9 of his wins and the Tigers are in a distant 3rd place. A pitcher doesn't just work on the mound, he is in every game whether he gets the start or not. At least the great ones are.... Come playoffs he will be pitching 2 games a series if need be. Just by him being on the mound gives you a 75% chance you are going to win. Thats huge.

And Weaver the Punk, should be removed from Cy Young considerations for throwing at a batters head intentionally. That rule should apply to all pitchers. Better yet, suspend them for the rest of the season because they are basically trying ti kill the batter.

[pedrodepacas]

Agreed Maron Justin Verlander is a stud. He is hands down the AL Cy Young winner. I know thie thread is titled Justin Verlander but being the Dodger fan that I am I have to throw Clayton Kershaw's name out there for some props. He hasn't been doing it as long as Verlander but this year he graduated from young phenom to stud. The numbers he is putting up on the crappy team he is on is amazing. He is in the top three in the NL in wins, era, and strikeouts. I know since he is on a crappy team he might not win the NL Cy Young, but I hope they give him the credit he deserves come voting time.

[FireDigger]

Since Eckersley won the AL MVP in 1992, the closes a pitcher came to winning the award was Pedro Martinez finishing second in 1999 and Greg Maddux finishing 3rd in 1995.

In 1999, Pedro had a 23-4 record, 2.07 ERA, and 0.923 WHIP while the Red Sox won the wild card. He went 4-0 in September and lowered his ERA from 2.36 during the month. He actually got more first place votes for MVP over eventual champion Ivan Rodriguez (8 to 7). 2000 was actually the year when Pedro posted the insane 1.74 ERA and 0.737 WHIP, but two losses and the Sox missing the playoffs landed him fifth in the MVP race.

In 1995, Maddux had a 19-2 record, 1.63 ERA, and 0.811 WHIP in a strike-shortened season where the Braves had the best record in the NL. He allowed one run in all of September in a rain-shortened game where he pitched only one inning. The MVP went to Barry Larkin with 11 first place votes, Dante Bichette finished second with six first place votes, and Maddux finished third with seven first place votes.

I think for Verlander to have a chance to win the MVP, Jose Bautista would have to lose it first. Verlander will also need to get to the playoffs and lower his ERA to sub 2.00 by having a monster September. Barring any injuries, he will probably get 6-7 more starts against @MIN, KC, @CLE, @CHW, @OAK, BAL, and CLE. The games @CHW and @CLE will probably be the toughest tests since both places are hitter's parks. I'll definitely be rooting for Verlander to win the MVP in 2011.

[FireDigger]

Justin Verlander wins the 2011 AL MVP, WOW!

It wasn't even that close with Ellsbury and Bautista in 2nd and 3rd. Congrats Verlander.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7265534/cy-young-winner-justin-verlander-detroit-tigers-wins-al-mvp

[ChanceSchmerr]

Bautista was robbed again.

The Pitchers have their own award.

[rckymtn22]

The Pitchers have their own award.

I agree.

[bc8436]

The worst part about pitchers winning MVP awards is having to listen to Eckersley kiss his own butt for the rest of eternity.

[thechenman]

No offense intended, but a pitcher should never win the MVP...winning 20+ games in a season does not a season MVP make when there are 8 other players on the field pretty much every game of the season.