Verlander: MVP next?

There was little question Justin Verlander would unanimously win the A.L. Cy Young Award. Now, the far more intriguing question: Will he take the MVP, too? “Do I think it’s possible? Yes. Would I like to win it? Of course,” he said during a conference call. “It’s kind of a weird scenario.” No starting pitcher has won the MVP trophy since Roger Clemens in 1986, with Dennis Eckersley the last reliever to get it in 1992. Many say pitchers shouldn’t win the MVP, contending they already have their own award. But Verlander’s season – he won the pitching version of the Triple Crown, led Detroit to its first division crown in 24 years and drew every first-place vote Tuesday in the Cy Young race – has ratcheted up the debate in a crowded MVP field. – AP