Toronto Blue Jays fans know all about what Detroit’s Justin Verlander can do as the Tigers ace no-hit the Blue Jays earlier this year, and there was no resistance when he was given the Cy Young award. But he was also awarded the MVP this week and some analysts feel the wrong player was honored. Here is why Justin Verlander was given the Most Valuable Player award.
There was no standout player in the American League this year, and there are reasons why Verlander stood above the rest. Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury was excellent, but after the Red Sox imploded, his MVP chances went with it. Toronto’s Jose Bautista continued to put up monster numbers, but the Blue Jays’ record didn’t help. New York’s Curtis Granderson and Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera were also in the running, but really, were they much better than Ellsbury or Bautista?
When it comes to Cabrera, could you say he was more valuable than his teammate, Verlander? The righthander led the American League in wins (24), innings (251.0), strikeouts (250), ERA (2.40) and WHIP (0.92), and he had a much larger effect on Detroit’s price per head odds than Cabrera, and more than any other “player”.
Another stat for you: Verlander was 16-3 after a Tigers’ loss, and that was huge for his teammates, who could have gotten in the dumps in the middle of a skid. With Verlander on the hill every fifth day (his 133-pitch performance in Game 5 of the ALCS against Texas was his best of the season), they knew they were probably going to win, and he saved Detroit’s bullpen at points because of his ability to go deep into games. Because of Verlander, in 2012, Detroit will earn some respect in online sportsbooks.
