Detroit Tigers Break Camp: Justin Verlander Dominating, Poised for Cy Young Run

Lost amid the drama of the Miguel Cabrera DUI, the decision on the starting second baseman and the battles for the final roster spots is the fact that Justin Verlander had a dominating spring.

Verlander ended the spring 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA and 23 Ks and only three walks in 28 innings. He was utterly dominating and bucked his trend of mediocre springs over the last couple of years. If the Tigers are going to be serious contenders, they need Verlander to move up from a quality ace to a top ace.

Whether Verlander truly is one of the top starters in the game is a hot topic of conversation in the Detroit market. Consensus usually seems to lean toward "not quite" or "not yet."

Thanks to four pitches and a 100 mph fastball, Verlander will always be at the top of the league in strikeouts. Being a durable pitcher on a talented offensive team has put him at third in the AL in wins since 2006.

While Verlander's consistent efforts often cause him to be overlooked on his own team, he's basically ignored by the national media and rarely mentioned in the same breaths as Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Felix Hernandez or CC Sabathia. Heck, even I recently wrote an article touting Max Scherzer with only a footnote of mention of more talented Verlander.

Wins and strikeouts aren't even close to the true measure of a pitcher. Just ask Cy Young voters. Verlander has more wins in each of the last two seasons than the Cy Young winners in the AL (Zack Greinke and Felix Hernandez).

Talent isn't and never has been an issue with Verlander. Easily the most talented starter in the AL Central, Verlander will need to hit the gate running and avoid his miserable April starts this year. His spring stats show he's committed to trying to do this.

Last year was statistically Verlander's best with a career low 3.37 ERA. Yet he averaged nearly three walks per nine innings pitched, this spring he has walked less than one batter per nine innings. 

In order to be mentioned alongside the top starters in the league, Verlander will have to push his ERA below three. Minimizing walks is a great place to start. If he can stay anywhere near his spring numbers in the regular season, he'll be a leading Cy Young candidate.  

Verlander gets a chance to prove he's ready on Thursday as he'll face off in the season opener against Sabathia and the New York Yankees.