Justin Verlander Grabs AL MVP Award

Justin Verlander is up for the AL MVP, but should he get it over everyone else? One of his main competitors will be Jacob Ellsbury. For Ellsbury he batted .321 with 32 home runs, 105 RBIs, scored 119 runs and had 39 stolen bases, making him the only 30-30 man in the history of the Boston Red Sox. Toss in a gold glove and you can see why many people think he could win the AL MVP.

For Justin Verlander his stats are very impressive for a pitcher. Verlander was 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA, threw 251 innings, allowed 174 hits, struck out 250 batters, had a .920 WHIP. He won the Cy Young and helped the Detroit Tigers win their division and a spot in the playoffs. Choosing between Ellsbury and Verlander is a tough decision, but here is why Verlander deserves to be AL MVP.

You take Justin Verlander out of the lineup for the Tigers for an extended amount of time they do not win the division or as many games as they did. He was a vital part of the Tigers success and without him they are just a .500 ball team. This is why Justin Verlander deserves to be AL MVP. He has similar numbers just like Roger Clemens had when he won the AL MVP in 1986. I will admit I will be kind of shocked if Verlander does not in it.

Today, Justin Verlander walked away with the AL MVP. An award that he deserved. It's a rare feat when you see a pitcher win the AL MVP and CY Young award in the same year. This just shows you how dominate Justin Verlander was this year.

Justin Verlander Roaring Tiger This Season

For a little while there was a question who was the best pitcher in the American League, but that has all been sorted out. Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander is head and shoulders better than everyone else. Verlander has a 24-5 record and has won 12 straight decisions. He is one of the main reasons the Detroit Tigers are in the conversation about teams that could be in the World Series. He became the first pitcher to win 12 straight starts since Minnesota's Johan Santana in 2004, according to STATS LLC. Verlander has a 2.28 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 87 innings over his streak.

Verlander has the most wins in a major league season since Arizona's Randy Johnson in 2002. With another victory, he would become the winningest pitcher in a season since Oakland's Bob Welch went 27-6 in 1990. What's next for the Tiger's ace? He would like to play the first playoff series in front of the home fans. The way he is pitching he may play a lot of games in front of the home fans.