Justin Verlander Makes Strong Case for American League MVP

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander is going to make it tough on the American League MVP Award voters this year. With an amazing set of statistics that haven't been rivaled in recent years, Verlander might have a great case to become the first pitcher to win the MVP in quite some time.

According to the updated MLB statistics, Verlander now leads the American League in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. In fact, his ERA is just .02 from leading all of baseball, with Clayton Kershaw holding that mark at 2.27. Through 33 starts this year, Verlander has a 24-5 record, a 2.29 ERA, and 244 strikeouts. This is the first time he has been able to win 20 games in a season, and it almost seems like he is single-handedly leading the Tigers into the postseason.

With just seven games remaining in the 2011 season, the Tigers have taken a huge lead in the Central Division standings. The team has also clinched the playoff spot and is now battling for the second-best record in the American League this year. Currently the Tigers are tied with the Texas Rangers at 90-65, and that could determine which team gets to have home field advantage in the first round of the postseason.

It's very hard for a starting pitcher to win the MVP award, mostly because some voters feel it should go to a hitter. With the Cy Young Award available to pitchers, those voters feel the MVP is set aside for the best hitter. The last time a pitcher won the A.L. MVP was back in 1992 when Dennis Eckersley won it for the Oakland Athletics. Roger Clemens also won it back in 1986 for the Boston Red Sox and Rollie Fingers won it for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1981. This shows it can be done, and Verlander has that special type of season that should be strongly considered.

For Verlander, he has one more scheduled start this year to really make a statement to the voters. It will come Monday, Oct. 24, against the weak-hitting Baltimore Orioles at home. If he can do something like throw a no-hitter or notch an amazing statistic like 15 strikeouts, then even more baseball analysts around the country will be forced to take notice. Every batter who has faced him this year has already received that notice, though, and nobody wants to have to face him in the postseason.