Justin Verlander: 5 Reasons the Detroit Tigers Ace Deserves AL MVP

Not only has Justin Verlander cemented himself as the front-runner for AL Cy Young, he has now even crept into MVP discussion.  It is extremely rare in today's game for a pitcher to even be considered for the MVP award.

That just goes to show you how great of a year Verlander is having.  Here's a look at five important statistics that Verlander leads the majors in.

5. WHIP (0.90)

Nobody has a better WHIP than Verlander.  In fact, nobody is even close.  Cole Hamels and Josh Beckett are tied for second, but with a much higher one of 0.97.

It is extremely hard to have a WHIP under 1.00, and Verlander is well below.

What this stat tells you is that he rarely walks batters, rarely gives up hits and pitches a ton of innings.  Add those three up and you'll see just how seldom he gives up any runs.

4. Innings Pitched (215.2)

Verlander has made every scheduled start this year and seemingly has pitched at least seven or eight innings in almost all of those.  In fact, he has been moved around in the rotation at times to get an extra start.

Detroit has needed Verlander to be an innings-eater at times because the bullpen has struggled for much of the year. 

The fact that he can basically give the bullpen a day off at least once a week has helped them tremendously.

3. Opponent Batting Average (.190)

Verlander is holding opposing hitters to an incredibly low .190 batting average.  In comparison, no other pitcher in the majors is even holding opposing hitters below .200.

This just shows you that Verlander simply does not allow many hits. 

Combined with the fact that he rarely walks hitters, it is extremely hard for hitters to get on base while he is pitching.

2. Strikeouts (218)

Verlander is running away with the American League lead in strikeouts.  He currently has 218, and Felix Hernandez is second with only 195.

Strikeouts generally cause a pitcher to throw more pitches and sometimes not last as long in games, but that hasn't been the case with Verlander.

Pitch count has not been a factor with him, as he has thrown at least 100 pitches in every start this year.

1. Wins (20)

When he won his 20th game last weekend, Verlander became the first pitcher to win 20 before September since 2002.

No other pitcher in the majors has 19 wins yet.  Heck, no pitcher even has 18 yet.

Verlander's 20 wins have been huge for the Tigers, as they almost certainly wouldn't be in first place without him.

If the Tigers can hold on and make the playoffs, Verlander could go a long way in determining who advances to the ALCS.