(Image Source: Star Tribune)

BY MATT NOONAN


Can a pitcher win the league’s MVP award? That’s the buzz after the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander notched 20 wins before the month of September--a feat unseen since 2002.
But MVP is an award that historically has not been kind to pitchers. A New York Times columnist writes:

“It is one of baseball’s biggest paradoxes: the overpowering ace, perhaps the game’s most prized commodity, cannot win the game’s most prestigious individual award. Ever since Roger Clemens won it in 1986, starting pitchers have gone 0 for 48 in M.V.P. races.”

Some argue-- no player in baseball is more valuable to his team than Verlander. An SB Nation blogger writes:

“Without Verlander taking the mound every five days, the Tigers are probably a third place -- or worse -- team at best... his [wins] are 27 percent of the [Tiger's] win total -- that's more than a fourth.”

And a blogger for ESPN is on the same page, noting-- Verlander is also a top name for the Cy Young award.

“When a mediocre team can become world beaters because of one guy, that one guy should be baseball's most valuable... Being a local legend is great, winning the Cy Young fantastic, but Verlander deserves the MVP as well. He owns baseball right now.”

But Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal argues-- while Verlander may be the best pitcher in the game, that still isn’t good enough for MVP honors:

KEN ROSENTHAL: “In recent days you've started to hear talk about Justin Verlander not simply as a Cy Young candidate, but also as a candidate for MVP. Well, I'm not buying it... He will appear in no more than 35 games. The rest of these guys will appear in 140, 150, and upward. That's why they will get more consideration for the MVP award.”

So, should pitchers be given consideration as baseball's best?  The public thinks so.

In an ESPN Sportsnation poll, nearly 90% of readers voted that pitchers should be considered for the MVP award.


###
 

Sports News: Justin Verlander MVP

Justin Verlander: Can a Pitcher Win MVP?

August 28, 2011
(1:52)
Justin Verlander became the first Major League Baseball pitcher in nine years to win his 20th game before the month of September.
   
TRANSCRIPT

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