Making An MVP Pitch.

To the surprise of some, Tigers ace and new Cy Young recipient Justin Verlander also took home this year's AL MVP award in a landslide. He received 13 first place votes, followed by Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury (4), Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista (5), Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson (3), and Verlander's teammate, Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (2).

Verlander, who won the pitching Triple Crown this year (his 24-5 record, 2.40 ERA, and 250 strikeouts in 251 innings all led the league this year), became the first pitcher to win the MVP since closer Dennis Eckersly in 1992, and the first starter to win it since Roger Clemens in 1986. Verlander is the first Tiger to win either the Cy or the MVP, not to mention both, in the same season, since their championship season of 1984, when Willie Hernandez took both awards home. Verlander was also the 2006 Rookie of the Year, and has thrown 2 no-hitters.

Would you believe us if we told you that he's only 28 and therefore not even truly in the prime of his career yet? Are you scared? If you live in Cleveland, Kansas City, North Chicago or Minnesota, you should be.

This announcement has caused the debate over whether a pitcher should be eligible to win the MVP to absolutely skyrocket. Personally, I think that if a pitcher adds more to his team than any position player, he should definitely be allowed to take both the Cy and MVP. Without Verlander's wins, Detroit is only 1 game above the Indians, and the season turns out completely different. His ability to last deep into games (taking his 4 complete games out of account, his average outing lasted 7 1/3 innings, over a full inning longer than most starters last these days) and his dominanting stature (6'5", 220 pounds) make him a true force to be reckoned with. Despite some odd meteorological problems during the postseason, when the rain seemed to know when he was starting and proceeded to unleash hell, Verlander persevered, going 2-1 in 4 games with 25 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings (admittedly, he had a 5.31 ERA, but with such a small sample size, and going against the two best teams in the corresponding divisions, it's understandable), dispelling the notion from the 2006 playoffs that he was an October choker. Going forward, Verlander is going to be a crucial part of the Tigers' core, which includes sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Alex Avila and closer Jose Valverde (who also had an impressive season, going 49-for-49 in save opportunities), and they can't possibly make a splash in the AL Central without him. So, seeing how he's so important, why would you give the MVP to another, less deserving player, simply because "Verlander already won the Cy Young, and that's the award specifically for pitchers"? If the powers that be really felt so strongly about it, they would bar pitchers from being eligible and quash the debate once and for all. However, if a pitcher has such a strong impact on his team, and they're theoretically a .500 team without him, you can't give it to Ellsbury or Granderson, both of whom are on teams that perennially make the playoffs as it is. Bautista led the league in home runs for a second straight year, but couldn't boost the Blue Jays' offense enough to make them a contender like Verlander did. The bottom line is simple: even though he only plays every 5 days, if Verlander or any other pitcher has the impact on and importance to a team that he had in 2011, not only should he win the MVP for pitchers, he should win the MVP overall, and he did.

Congratulations, Justin Verlander, on everything you accomplished this past year. I hope to see you in pinstripes next year (just kidding...not really).