Can Justin Verlander live up to the hype? – MLB Detroit Tigers’ News
Justin Verlander had an absolutely sensational time on the mound last season. Making the most of available opportunities, he asserted himself as a dominant force in Major League Baseball. Showing great character and composure, he helped Detroit Tigers secure memorable wins in 2011. His incredible ERA and an eye popping 24-5 win-loss record suggest that he was in commanding form.
Leading American League in wins, ERA and strikeouts, he also won the pitching Triple Crown, a rare feat for a modern day thrower. However, Verlander should be thankful to an extremely efficient bullpen that never allowed an inherited run. It will be interesting to see if the guy can continue his impressive run in the upcoming season. Undoubtedly, there will be immense pressure on him.
While Verlander may find it difficult to achieve results similar to those of 2011, he will be looking to work hard persistently to help the Tigers win the American League Central title. In an interview with a top sports website, Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland stated that it can be challenging for Verlander to have a record as good as good as last season.
"His attitude is tremendous," pitching coach Jeff Jones said. "He wants to do better than he did last year. I can see that, and I know him well enough now to know what he wants out of his career and what he wants out of every year. He wants to be better every year."
"In some ways, he has an impossible act to follow," ESPN’s Stark wrote in an e-mail. "Is he going to win the MVP and the Cy Young two years in a row? And even if he did, he'd just be equaling what he did last year”.
Verlander is a very down to earth person and he always sees room for improvement in his game play. He has been training at the Tigers’ training facility for the last few days. The upcoming season will be of great importance for the pitcher. If he can perform consistently, he will have a great chance to register his name in the list of all time greats.
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