"The question has been incorrectly posed all along.

It's not whether Tigers ace Justin Verlander will win the American League's Most Valuable Player Award when it's announced Monday.

It's whether a pitcher in either league will ever be MVP again.

Or, as the award has since 1992 in the AL and since way back to Bob Gibson in 1968 in the National League, does it now belong solely to position players?

Only one pitcher in either league in the last 25 years, Dennis Eckersley for the A's in 1992, has been named MVP.

However, Tigers manager Jim Leyland believes Verlander, for going 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA this year, is about to end that drought."