"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

21 November 2011

MVP


Justin Verlander is the American League’s Most Valuable Player -- the first starting pitcher to win the award in 25 years.

FoxSports.com baseball writer Jon Paul Morosi explained his vote for Verlander: "In the end, a position player is supposed to win the award except in cases of exceptional and historic years by a pitcher, and in my estimation, that is what Verlander had in 2011. It was one of the best pitching performances in multiple generations.

"What made him the MVP was the 16 wins after Tigers losses. According to Elias (Elias Sports Bureau), that was the most since Steve Carlton in ’72 (with the Phillies). That’s staggering. It’s been nearly 40 years since we saw a stopper like this. When you talk about value to the team and impact on the division race, it's him. One of my favorite statistics about his season is that on the day he began his 12-start winning streak, the Indians and Tigers were tied atop the division. By the time it ended, the Tigers already had clinched."


Read the rest at The Freep.

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