Sales Pitch

When thinking of objects that are valuable, the mind immediately shifts to one particular object depending on the person. That object could be a family heirloom, some jewelry that is impeccably beautiful, or even a stuffed animal that you have had since birth that quietly sits in a secure place. We all have differences when it comes to determining value. That is why that the discussion surrounding the most valuable player of baseball is a heavily opinionated one. 

Determining an MVP is easier in some years than it is in others. Usually the award is given to the position player having the best statistical year on the team with the best record. However, this year is a little bit different because Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander is making a very strong case for the coveted MVP award. 

Justin Verlander's numbers in 2011 are staggering. To this point in the season, Verlander has gone 20-5 with a 2.38 earned run average and 218 strikeouts in 215 innings pitched. As of right now, Verlander is the only 20 game winner in the entire major league. He is one of two pitchers with more than 200 strikeouts so far this season. And, the only pitching statistic that Verlander does not lead the American League in is earned run average, for he ranks second in that category. 

Verlander is a virtual lock for the AL CY Young award, but why is his quest to become the twelfth pitcher ever to win the MVP more difficult?

The biggest reason that only eleven different pitchers have ever won the MVP award is because they loose some points with the media for only playing once every five days. The Detroit Tigers have won 74 games this season, and although Verlander has been great, he has not won all 74 games for Detroit by himself. Because of the once every five days factor, MVP voters usually pick the position players who put up great numbers on a playoff bound team. For example, voters will likely give their votes to players such as Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees or Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox. 

But in terms of value to their team, there is no question that Justin Verlander is more valuable to his team than Granderson or Gonzalez are to theirs. 

Verlander may not be directly responsible for all 74 of Detroit's wins, but without Verlander, the Tigers worst case scenario is a 54-81 record. Even if Detroit lost only 10 of the games that Verlander has won this year, they would still be 64-71, which would put them in third place in the AL Central. In addition to the wins, Verlander has helped right the ship on multiple occasions for the Tigers. Justin Verlander has 14 wins after a Tigers loss the night before. While teams like the Yankees and Red Sox have received great years from Granderson and Gonzalez, they also have gotten great years from Mark Teixeira and Jacoby Ellsbury respectively. The point being is that if the Red Sox lost Gonzalez or the Yankees lost Granderson, both of these teams would still be able to contend for a playoff spot. If the Tigers lost Justin Verlander, you could kiss their playoff hopes goodbye. 

So should Justin Verlander win the MVP award? Yes. He is far and away the most important player to any team this year. Is he going to win both the MVP and Cy Young? No. Because in order for a pitcher to win the MVP, he needs to have an absurdly good year, and every position player on playoff contenders need to have pedestrian years. And since Gonzalez and Granderson are both having great years, one of them will take home the MVP trophy while the league's most valuable player, Justin Verlander, only gets one of the two trophies he deserves.