BBWAA award nominees: Justin Verlander, Michael Fulmer named finalists

The finalists for the 2016 Baseball Writers Association of America awards were announced Monday and a pair of Detroit Tigers were included. Justin Verlander was listed as one of the American League Cy Young candidates, while Michael Fulmer is a contender for American League Rookie of the Year.

Verlander won the Cy Young title in 2011 and finished runner up a year later. The last Tiger to win the award was Max Scherzer in 2013, and he has been nominated for the NL Cy Young this season. Furthermore, Verlander is also the last Tiger to win the AL Rookie of the Year. He claimed this honor in 2006.

The competition is tough, but Verlander ranks favorably in most key pitching categories. Among all AL qualified starters, he ranks second with a 3.04 ERA, first with a 1.00 WHIP, fourth with a 3.48 FIP, third with 10.0 K/9, second with 227-2/3 innings pitched, and second with 5.2 fWAR. The other nominees for the award are former Tiger Rick Porcello, who is now with the Red Sox, and Indians ace Corey Kluber.

Michael Fulmer also had a sensational season, and he was easily the most impressive rookie pitcher in the AL. Among all AL pitchers with at least 150 innings, Fulmer ranked third with a 3.06 ERA, seventh with a 1.12 WHIP, 11th with a 3.76 FIP, and 19th with a 13.9 percent K-BB rate. Even compared to veteran pitchers, Fulmer was outstanding. He is up against New York’s Gary Sanchez and Cleveland’s Tyler Naquin for the award.

While the finalists are just being announced now, all voting took place at the conclusion of the regular season and does not factor in any postseason performances. The AL Rookie of the Year winner will be announced on November 14, and the AL Cy Young winner will be announced on November 16.

The other award finalists are listed below:

AL MVP: Mike Trout (LAA), Mookie Betts (BOS), Jose Altuve (HOU)
AL MOY: Terry Francona (CLE), Jeff Banister (TEX), Buck Showalter (BAL)
NL MVP: Kris Bryant (CHC), Corey Seager (LAA), Daniel Murphy (WAS)
NL CY: Kyle Hendricks (CHC), Jon Lester (CHC), Max Scherzer (WAS)
NY ROY: Corey Seager (LAD), Kenta Maeda (LAD), Trea Turner (WAS)
NY MOY: Joe Madden (CHC), Dave Roberts (LAD), Dusty Baker (WAS)