Pitching his case

The playoff races aren't the only things heating as the American League heads into its final week of games. The competition for the Most Valuable Player trophy is as wide open as it's been in many summers and for the first time since 1992 a pitcher is making a strong case for an award which is normally reserved for everyday players.

Now, it's long been debated that pitchers already have their award to honour the best in the Cy Young Award. Plus, the fact that starting pitchers only perform in roughly 20 percent of their teams games has always made their inclusion in the voting process somewhat questionable.

A relief pitcher, specifically a closer, is a little more palatable. When Dennis Eckersley was named the A.L. MVP in 1992, he appeared in 69 games, finishing 65 of them, while saving 51 of the Athletics' 96 wins that season en route to their fourth A.L. West title in five seasons. It's tough to argue just how valuable Eckersley was that season.

The pitcher-for-MVP question will be on the minds of many voters this fall once again.

Tigers' ace Justin Verlander has put together one of those magical seasons that only come around once a decade. He picked up his 24th win of 2011 on Sunday, throwing eight shutout innings against Oakland. His stats are above reproach this season, leading the American League in wins, ERA, starts, innings, strikeouts and WHIP. Verlander also pitched his second career no-hitter - May 7 at Rogers Centre against the Blue Jays - and is heading into his final regular season start on a 12-start winning streak, leading the Tigers to their first divisional title since 1987, and their first post-season appearance since 2006 when they rode the Wild Card all the way to a World Series appearance, losing to the Cardinals in five games.

One thing that may help Verlander land this award, outside of his stellar stats, is that several teammates on contending teams are likely to split a lot of other votes. Yankees centrefielder Curtis Granderson and second baseman Robinson Cano have both put together MVP-calibre seasons. Same thing in Boston with centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, second basemen Dustin Pedroia and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Then there's the curious case of Toronto's super slugger Jose Bautista, who is poised to become the first Blue Jay to win back-to-back home run titles. Statistically, 'Joey Bats' is the American League's best hitter, leading the league in several offensive categories including home runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, walks as well as go-ahead RBI. Bautista has also hit above .300 all season long and is currently hitting 50 points above his career average. And all of this has occurred while getting little protection around him in the line-up and causing the opposition to give little or nothing to hit. What will work against the Blue Jays' rightfielder is that he plays on a fourth place team far out of the spotlight of baseball's traditional markets. The last time a player from a team that finished this far out of the playoffs was in 1987 when Andre Dawson won the N.L. MVP after he slammed 49 HR and 137 RBI for the Cubs. Playing in Chicago carries a lot more weight -- and national coverage -- than in Toronto. Don't get me wrong, Bautista is the best hitter in the game, but playing for the Jays will not help his cause.

Personally, if I had a vote, it would go to Verlander. Seasons like the one that he has put together are becoming quite rare in this era of specialized pitching, where staffs are full of one-dimensional arms. Verlander is one of the last true 'aces' in the game, where a team has chance to win each and every time his turn comes up. If that doesn't define what is most valuable, then I'm not sure what is.

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 19th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts.