Is Astros Ace Justin Verlander Still an AL Cy Young Front-Runner Despite Lost Time?

Despite three weeks of lost time, does Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander still deserve to be the front-runner for the AL Cy Young award?

Justin Verlander has been on the 15-day Injured List  with a calf injury since Aug. 30, but this lost time should not disqualify him from the AL Cy Young award consideration.

The Houston Astros ace has appeared in 24 games this season and tossed 19 quality starts. Verlander boasts a 16-3 record, allowing just 31 runs off 104 hits. The righty has sat down 154 opposing hitters via the strikeout and holds the lowest ERA in baseball at 1.84.

Coincidentally, Corbin Burnes and Shane Bieber held the lowest ERA in the league in 2020 and 2021. Both won the Cy Young award for their respective leagues.

Verlander last won the award in 2019, a season where he started 34 games, recorded 300 strikeouts, and held an ERA of 2.58.

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

History shows that three of the last four AL Cy Young winners have appeared in over 30 games. The outlier is Bieber in 2020, who only pitched in 12 games due to a season shortened by COVID-19.

However, there is no perfect formula or number of games started threshold a pitcher must meet in order to earn the award. Last season, Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers won the NL Cy Young and only started 28 games with a 2.56 ERA.

Verlander has dominated all year long and could be set to return this weekend against the Oakland Athletics, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle.

If this is truly the case, then we could see the two-time AL Cy Young winner in up to four more games down the stretch. 

Verlander is still the front-runner according to ESPN's MLB Cy Young Predictor, which puts him just under 12-points ahead of his teammate Framber Valdez.

The possibility of a few more outings this season gives him the opportunity to bolster his resume even more.

Say what you want about the AL Cy Young race, but there are two things that are undeniable: Justin Verlander holds the best ERA in baseball and he has earned the right to be at the top of the conversation.

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