Justin Verlander Crushes AL Cy Young Award Voting, MVP May be Next

The announcement that Justin Verlander won the American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday was no surprise to anyone, including the BBWAA voters, who were unanimous in their decision. All 28 first-place votes.

His reaction to receiving the honor was met with the question of whether he will also nail the Most Valuable Player Award:

“Do I think it’s possible? Yes. Would I like to win it? Of course. It’s kind of a weird scenario... I'm so different from everybody”

Well, at least he's modest.

No starting pitcher has been named MVP since Roger Clemens back in 1986, with Dennis Eckersley being the the last reliever to get it in 1992. While lots of people believe pitchers shouldn't even be on the MVP ballot since they already have their own award for outstanding performance, seasons like Verlander's might change their tune.

The 28-year-old right-hander (along with his 100mph heater and ridiculous slider and curveball) won the pitching Triple Crown, leading Detroit to its first division title in over two decades with 24 wins, 250 strikeouts, and a nice 2.40 ERA. Not bad.

While that's impressive as hell, the AL MVP crowd includes teammate Miguel Cabrera, along with the likes of former Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jose Bautista.

Oddly enough, Verlander said that if he didn't get the honor, he'd like to see Granderson get it. Not Cabrera.

[Detroit Free Press]