Justin Verlander 2011 AL MVP: Ranking the Top 10 Pitchers in All of Baseball

Our memories of Justin Verlander's miraculous season were refreshed yesterday with the announcement of him winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Verlander had one of the best campaigns that we had seen in a long time with nearly a dominant performance every time he stepped on the mound.

Before Verlander, we hadn't seen a pitcher win the MVP since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 and a starting pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986. Obviously, it takes a special pitcher to win this award and it isn't taken lightly. 

We have learned over the course of the last few seasons that pitching can win championships. There are plenty of great pitchers in baseball, but who are the best? Let's take a look at the Top 10 pitchers in all of baseball.

Honorable Mention

Jon Lester, BOS

Lester completed his fourth straight year of 15 or more wins in 2011 with a 15-9 record in Boston. He is arguably the "ace" of the Red Sox's rotation but there is still room for improvement. Lester has to stay healthy (as do many of the Boston pitchers) and then he should return to his high strikeout numbers. He had 43 less strikeouts in 2011 than he did in 2010, with only 18 less innings pitched. His 65 walks was the fifth least in the American League.

CJ Wilson, TEX (Free Agent)

The Texas lefty had another good year from the Rangers' rotation with a 16-7 record, which took them deep into the playoffs. Wilson ranked in the top 10 of every major pitching category in the AL, but his inability to pitch in clutch situations keeps him out of this Top 10 list. In the 2011 playoffs, Wilson went 0-3 in five starts and had an ERA of 5.79. He is a free agent this offseason and will get a huge contract, but will he live up to the hype?

Felix Hernandez, SEA

King Felix was a top two pitcher in 2009 and 2010, finishing second and winning the AL Cy Young in those respective seasons. In 2010, he went only 13-12 and still came out on top with the help of his 2.27 ERA. His 2011 ERA increased by over a run and his 14-14 just didn't cut it for the voters this year. The strikeouts are still there for Hernandez and his pitches are still filthy, but he just doesn't seem as dominant as he was in years past. 

10. Ian Kennedy, ARZ

2011 Stats: 21-4, 2.88 ERA, 198 K

Ian Kennedy had an incredible 2011 season that came out of nowhere. Compared to his 2010 season, he increased his wins, innings pitched and strikeouts while decreasing his ERA, walks and WHIP.

The voters saw Kennedy's season as fourth best in the National League, earning 18 fourth-place votes and 76 overall. He's only 26 and still has plenty of time to improve the rest of his game and regardless of his postseason numbers, he and the Arizona Diamondbacks will be back in the near future.

9. David Price, TB

2011 Stats: 12-13, 3.49 ERA, 218 K

2011 was an "off" year for David Price but he is still one of the best fireballers in the game today. Price's workload was increased by 16 innings and three more starts than in 2010, but his ERA also increased by half a run.

His dominance shows in his ability to blow fastballs by batters and strike them out. He ranked fifth in the AL in strikeouts. Price didn't receive any Cy Young votes this year after finishing second in 2010 but he is still one of the most feared pitchers in the game. 

8. Cole Hamels, PHI

2011 Stats: 14-9, 2.79 ERA, 194 K

Cole Hamels really had a nice year after poor/average seasons the past two years. Hamels did a great job of lowering his walks this year which hurt him in 2010. His 0.99 WHIP was the second best in the NL and that was a major factor for his success.

Although he wasn't really considered for the NL Cy Young, he did finish fifth in the voting. Plus, it always helps when you get to pitch behind Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the rotation. Hamels could be a No. 1 or No. 2 starter for many other teams, but he is definitely the best No. 3 pitcher in the game today.

7. Jered Weaver, LAA

2011 Stats: 18-8, 2.41 ERA, 198 K

In a season where another pitcher has an incredible year, another great pitcher's season can get overshadowed. Example, Jered Weaver. He kept runners off the bases and rarely let them score, which was shown in his ERA and WHIP that both ranked second in the AL.

Weaver finished second in the AL Cy young voting behind Verlander but had a huge margin over third place finisher James Shields. His opponents only hit .212 off of him, his lowest average since 2006. He has gotten better and better every season since coming into the league in 2006 and the best is still to come. 

6. Clayton Kershaw, LAD

2011 Stats: 21-5, 2.28 ERA, 248 K

Kershaw proved with his NL Cy Young that he is the real deal. The Dodger ace won the triple crown in pitching, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. It's even more impressive that Kershaw pitched for a team that finished 21st in total runs scored and a team that wasn't in the playoff race for most of the year.

He is one of the game's best young pitchers at only 23 years old; the youngest to win the NL Cy Young since the 20-year-old Dwight Gooden in 1985. If Kershaw as well as MVP candidate Matt Kemp could get some more help, the Dodgers could be a legitimate contender in the National League; pending the sale of the team goes smoothly. 

5. Tim Lincecum, SF

2011 Stats: 13-14, 2.74 ERA, 220 K

Despite a rough 2011, Tim Lincecum is still one of the best pitchers in the game. Lincecum's numbers stayed pretty consistent from years past and he actually lowered his ERA from 2010.

Like Kershaw, Lincecum struggled with run support from his Giants as they ranked second to last in the category. This could be due to Buster Posey's injury which kept him out of the San Francisco lineup for most of the season. Lincecum's greatness shouldn't be looked at in wins-losses, as Felix Hernandez wasn't when he won the AL Cy Young last season. 

4. Cliff Lee, PHI

2011 Stats: 17-8, 2.40 ERA, 238 K

It isn't everyday that the No. 2 guy in the rotation is still an ace. The 2008 Cy Young winner ranked in the top five of every major pitching category in the National League this season. His six complete games were second best in the NL to his teammate Roy Halladay's eight.

He has also been a strikeout machine with his commanding fastball and sneaky off speed pitches, finishing only 10 strikeouts behind Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw for the NL lead. He is a special pitcher and another Cy Young in the future is not far off.

3. CC Sabathia, NYY

2011 Stats: 19-8, 3.00 ERA, 230 K

It's all about winning in New York and that's exactly what CC Sabathia has done ever since putting on his pinstripes. He's won 59 regular season games for the Yankees in the last three years with at least 19 in each season.

Sabathia is 5-1 in the postseason in New York which is a huge deal for the Yankees. He almost averages a strikeout per inning and has improved his control over the past season. Sabathia's consistency for winning has been great for the Yankees, but they have only won one World Series with him on the mound.

Even as a Red Sox fan who faces Sabathia countless times throughout the season, it's easy to say that Sabathia is one of the best pitchers out there.

2. Roy Halladay, PHI

2011 Stats: 19-6, 2.35 ERA, 220 K

It's hard not to have a pitcher who has finished in the top five of the Cy Young voting in each of the last six seasons be No. 1 here, but Roy Halladay certainly has a case for it. He has impressed us year in and year out even going back to his days in Toronto.

He is one of few who is just unbeatable and unsolvable. Every pitch that he has is the best in the league and most of the time it isn't even close. Even as a pitcher, he is a viable MVP candidate every season. His success just seems to continue as it did this season with his 19 wins and 2.35 ERA. Halladay, age 34, currently sits at 188 career wins. It will definitely be interesting to see how close he can get to 300 for his career before he retires.

1. Justin Verlander, DET

2011 Stats: 24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250 K

If winning the AL Cy Young and AL MVP doesn't make you the best pitcher in the game, then I'm not sure what does. Not every pitcher can go out on the mound and throw a no hitter, but every time Verlander steps on the mound it becomes a possibility.

He allowed only three hits or less in nine starts and went on a 12-game winning streak with ease during the late part of the 2011 season. His pitches are straight up filthy and constantly gives hitters headaches. The unanimous winner of the Cy Young led the American League in wins, innings pitched, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, winning percentage; need I go on? Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in Major League Baseball and easily one of the best players as well.