Justin Verlander lost in the mix

When talking about the elite pitchers in baseball, you hear several names.  Names like CC Sabathia, Jon Lester, Felix Hernandez, the Phillies rotation (4 loko?), Tim Lincecum, and Ubaldo Jimenez, just to name a few.  They're the names that always pop up for guys when talking about preseason Cy Young predictions, all-star game starters, and Cy Young candidates.  A name that seems to go unmentioned at times seems to be Justin Verlander, the undoubted ace for the Detroit Tigers.

Verlander was the second overall pick of the 2004 MLB draft following a standout career at Old Dominion, and tore through the minors, making his major league debut just a year later in 2005.  In 2006, he emerged as one of the biggest pieces of the 2006 AL Pennant winning Detroit Tigers, winning 17 games and winning the 2006 Rookie of the Year, in a deep 2006 rookie class that featured standout rookies Jonathan Papelbon, Jared Weaver, Francisco Liriano, Ian Kinsler, and Nick Markakis, all guys who may have won the award in other years.

In 2007, Verlander improved even more with 18 victories as well as eclipsing 200 innings and 180 strikeouts.  He also threw the 6th no-hitter in Tigers history on June 12 against the Milwaukee Brewers.  This garnered his first All-Star appearance and a top 5 finish in the Cy Young voting.  He was considered one of the best young stars in all of baseball, but it all changed in 2008.

After a great offseason for the Tigers, when they acquired Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, and Edgar Reteria, there were big expectations for the Tigers in 2008.  There were big expectations for Verlander as well, expected to really breakout in his third season.  Unfortunately, neither happened, as the Tigers finished the season with just 74 wins, missing the playoffs by a wide margin.  Verlander struggled as well losing a league-high 17 games while posting a 4.84 ERA and had 20 less strikeouts than the year before.  It was a disappointing, embarrasing season for Verlander and the Tigers.

Following the tough 2008 season that Verlander had, it seemed as if he was written off everyone's list of elite starters in the majors.  Two years later, it seems as if that view of Verlander remains, despite averaging an 18-9 record with a 3.41 ERA, 232 Innings and 244 strikeouts in the last two seasons.  In 2009, he led the league in wins, strikeouts and innings while finishing 3rd in the Cy Young voting.  Verlander is everything a teams wants in an ace, and maybe one of the top five righthanded starters in baseball, despite being seemingly lost in the mix of the best pitchers in the game.