racosun
11-13-2006, 01:38 PM
NEW YORK (AP) - In an unprecedented crop of outstanding rookie pitchers in the American League, Justin Verlander clearly was at the head of the class.
Verlander on Monday was named the AL Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Detroit Tiger to win the award since 1978.
The prized possession of the Tigers' organization for the last two years, Verlander headlined a list of hurlers which included Minnesota Twins phenom Francisco Liriano, Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starter Jered Weaver.
But in what was expected to be a tight race for the postseason honor, the 23-year-old Verlander won in a landslide, receiving 26-of-28 possible first-place votes and collecting 133 total points.
Papelbon, who was perhaps the best closer in baseball before the All-Star break, finished a distant second with 63 points while Liriano was third with 30 points, including a first-place vote.
All three pitchers posted outstanding numbers in 2006, but Liriano missed most of the last two months with an elbow injury and Papelbon was shut down for the season in early September with shoulder soreness.
The only one to survive the campaign was Verlander, who went 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA in 30 starts for the AL champion Tigers. The righthander ranked fourth in the AL in wins and seventh in ERA while helping Detroit to its first playoff berth in 19 years.
Verlander went 10-4 with a 3.01 ERA in the first half but actually was the only one of the "Big Three" to not make the All-Star team. He is the first Tiger to win the award since Lou Whitaker in 1978 and the first AL pitcher to earn the honor since New York's Dave Righetti in 1981.
Liriano, 23, took baseball by storm in the first several months of the season. The Dominican lefthander was 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA for the Twins, including an 11-3 mark with a 1.91 ERA after joining the rotation in mid-May. He recorded 144 strikeouts in 121 innings and afforded the opposition a meager .205 batting average.
Unfortunately, Liriano appeared in only two games after July 28 due to elbow soreness. He did not pitch for the AL Central champions after September 13 and eventually underwent "Tommy John" surgery last Monday, a procedure that will cost him the entire 2007 season.
Papelbon posted 26 saves and 0.59 ERA in the first half of the season for the Red Sox. He finished with 35 saves, going 4-2 with a 0.92 ERA, before ending his season a month early after experiencing soreness in his right shoulder.
Papelbon, who is expected to return to Boston's starting rotation in 2007, struck out 75 against 13 walks. The 25-year-old held batters to a .167 average and allowed only three home runs in 68 1/3 innings.
Seattle Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima finished fourth in the voting with 10 votes after batting .291 with 18 homers and 76 RBI in 144 games.
Weaver did not join Anaheim's rotation until late May but clearly was ready for the majors, going 11-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 19 outings. He had 105 strikeouts in 123 innings while holding opposing batters to a .209 average.
Verlander on Monday was named the AL Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Detroit Tiger to win the award since 1978.
The prized possession of the Tigers' organization for the last two years, Verlander headlined a list of hurlers which included Minnesota Twins phenom Francisco Liriano, Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starter Jered Weaver.
But in what was expected to be a tight race for the postseason honor, the 23-year-old Verlander won in a landslide, receiving 26-of-28 possible first-place votes and collecting 133 total points.
Papelbon, who was perhaps the best closer in baseball before the All-Star break, finished a distant second with 63 points while Liriano was third with 30 points, including a first-place vote.
All three pitchers posted outstanding numbers in 2006, but Liriano missed most of the last two months with an elbow injury and Papelbon was shut down for the season in early September with shoulder soreness.
The only one to survive the campaign was Verlander, who went 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA in 30 starts for the AL champion Tigers. The righthander ranked fourth in the AL in wins and seventh in ERA while helping Detroit to its first playoff berth in 19 years.
Verlander went 10-4 with a 3.01 ERA in the first half but actually was the only one of the "Big Three" to not make the All-Star team. He is the first Tiger to win the award since Lou Whitaker in 1978 and the first AL pitcher to earn the honor since New York's Dave Righetti in 1981.
Liriano, 23, took baseball by storm in the first several months of the season. The Dominican lefthander was 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA for the Twins, including an 11-3 mark with a 1.91 ERA after joining the rotation in mid-May. He recorded 144 strikeouts in 121 innings and afforded the opposition a meager .205 batting average.
Unfortunately, Liriano appeared in only two games after July 28 due to elbow soreness. He did not pitch for the AL Central champions after September 13 and eventually underwent "Tommy John" surgery last Monday, a procedure that will cost him the entire 2007 season.
Papelbon posted 26 saves and 0.59 ERA in the first half of the season for the Red Sox. He finished with 35 saves, going 4-2 with a 0.92 ERA, before ending his season a month early after experiencing soreness in his right shoulder.
Papelbon, who is expected to return to Boston's starting rotation in 2007, struck out 75 against 13 walks. The 25-year-old held batters to a .167 average and allowed only three home runs in 68 1/3 innings.
Seattle Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima finished fourth in the voting with 10 votes after batting .291 with 18 homers and 76 RBI in 144 games.
Weaver did not join Anaheim's rotation until late May but clearly was ready for the majors, going 11-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 19 outings. He had 105 strikeouts in 123 innings while holding opposing batters to a .209 average.