That won’t be answered until Monday, but for now Verlander will happily settle for claiming the first Cy Young of his career – and in unanimous fashion to boot.

The Detroit Tigers ace blew away the competition by winning pitching’s Triple Crown, leading the league in victories with a 24-5 record, ERA at 2.40 and strikeouts with 250. Verlander also pitched the most innings (251) and finished with the best WHIP – walks plus hits per innings pitched – at 0.92.

He received all 28 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America, for a perfect score of 196 points. The Los Angeles Angels’ Jered Weaver came in second with 96 points and the Tampa Bay Rays’ James Shields was third with 66.

On top of becoming baseball’s 12th Triple Crown winner in the last 50 years, Verlander threw his second career no-hitter on May 7 against the Toronto Blue Jays – only a walk kept him from a perfect game – and took two other no-hit bids into the eighth inning.

Verlander, 28, has been a dominant pitcher since his Rookie of the Year season in 2006, winning at least 17 games every season except 2008 and leading the league in wins, innings and strikeouts in 2009.

SOURCE: USA TODAY

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As the month of August comes to a close, it means there is one more month of excitement before the real fun begins.  That being said, it is time once again to look at some of the game’s top speedsters who can really help vault your team into the playoffs if you are struggling to get there.
Somewhat of a dark horse because he is rarely talked about for his speed, Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun has been a machine along the bases.

Coming into today’s action, Braun has 29 steals after recording just 14 a year ago.  Furthermore, Braun has stolen five bags in the last four days, which leads the majors.  The last three years Braun has averaged nine steals in September, the most in any month, so as August winds down, now would be a good time to make a play for him.  In the last three weeks, Braun has accumulated 10 steals and is steadily climbing his way up the charts.  Shifting gears, his production is always solid at the plate, and this year is no different as he is on pace for another 30 homer, 100 RBI season.  With the Brewers clicking on all cylinders right now, look for him to continue running at a high rate.  Obviously, he will be unavailable, so prepare to trade for him as he could really help your team with his speed among other things.

Another player coming on really strong in the second half of the season is Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin.  After swiping 11 bases at the end of June, Maybin recorded 14 thefts in July and 7 more this month, giving him a total of 32.  As he is now a full-time starter for the first time in his career, his 32 steals are easily a career high and there is no reason to believe he won’t finish the season with around 45 steals.  Most importantly, he is only 24 years old, so he has many years ahead of him to repeat this year’s success.

With the Padres long out of the race, expect Maybin to run when he wants, as there is no pressure.  Some slumps have occurred for Maybin at the dish, but he is still hovering around the .280 mark.  As the Padres will play divisional foes for the next month, Maybin may see an increase in steals because of the familiarity of those teams.  Maybin has a better chance of being available than Braun, so if he is on the market, swipe him up quickly for Rotisserie leagues.

Unfortunately, a handful of guys have looked dreadful the past couple of weeks and beyond and for that reason need to be steered clear of.  Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal is a player on serious decline, after finding much success around the bases in the past.  Though he is getting older, Furcal managed to swipe 22 bases last season, but this year has been a much different story, as he sits on just five steals as we head into September with his last steal coming one month ago to the day.

He is in serious danger of not recording double-digit steals for the first time in his career excluding 2008 when he was injured and missed most of the season with the Dodgers.  When he was traded to the Cardinals last month, the belief was that he would be more motivated to produce for a contending team, but that simply has not been the case.  With Furcal’s struggles running and hitting as he currently stands at .204, his value has steadily decreased to almost nothing in all formats, but especially in those that reward steals.

Wrapping up this week is center fielder for the Twins Denard Span.  After emerging as a starting player for the Twins in 2009, Span has tallied at least 23 thefts the past two seasons, but not this year.  Span has dealt with a concussion this season, forcing him to miss 64 of his team’s 129 games, drastically affecting his stats.  However, in the 65 games he has played in, he only pulled off six steals which would put him on pace for around 15 steals the whole season.  The effects of the concussion are still being felt by Span, as he is 1 for 31 since returning from the disabled list on August 2.  The Twins have sent him home for a week to try and get his mind off of baseball and they may shut him down completely, but either way it is not looking good for Span and consequently, Span owners.  If you do own Span, it is a no-brainer to let him go, as his season is a wash and should be forgotten about.  That concludes this week, see you again next week for more.

The dog days of summer are certainly upon us, as we have recently passed the middle of August. With the hot weather here to stay, some of the game’s best players may find themselves struggling to do what they do best. That being said, we will take a look at the base stealers who haven’t let the heat get to them as well as those that have struggled and need to be avoided.

Opening up this week is Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin, who has been lights out along the bases. After playing half a season last year, Maybin has really proved his worth in his first full season as he has 31 thefts and is now in the top ten in that category. Maybin leads the majors with four steals in the last seven days and is on pace to finish the season with 41 steals. It should not go unnoticed that he has been caught stealing just three times this season and only eight times in his career compared to 50 career steals, so he definitely knows how to pick his spots. Looking further at the stats, he is finding himself on base a lot and he is starting to hit for power. With the Padres out of the race months ago, look for Maybin to continue to do what he’s been doing and he should never be counted out because of his speed. If available, pick him up immediately and use him in Rotisserie leagues.

Another young and possible star in the making who has had a great past couple of weeks is Jose Constanza, right fielder for the Braves. Since being called up at the end of July, Constanza is among the league leaders with five steals this month. If Constanza was with the Braves at the start of the season, he would have tallied close to 48 stolen bases by the end of the season – an amazing feat. He has hit safely in 14 of his career 18 games and is hitting .385, a very encouraging sign. Constanza seems to be getting better with every passing day and as long as he remains in the big leagues next year, it could be the start of a very promising career for the youngster. Because it is so early in his career, he may not turn into a big steals guy, but based on what has been seen so far, there is no reason to believe he will not continue using his legs advantageously this season and beyond. He could be valuable if you are trying to make a push for the playoffs in your league where steals matter, so don’t hesitate to
strike while the iron is hot.

Though Maybin and Constanza have looked good lately, there are guys who have looked equally as bad. The first example of a player who has not looked sharp around the bases this season is center fielder for the Phillies, Shane Victorino. After posting more than 25 steals the last four seasons, Victorino currently sits on 16 stolen bases and will really have to push himself if he wants to extend that streak to five. He missed a handful of games earlier this season because of a thumb sprain and is currently playing among an appeal of a three-game suspension, but one would expect his stolen base numbers to be higher than what they are. Over the last three years, Victorino has averaged more steals in the first half of the season than the second half, so that’s another negative for him. Victorino is hitting the ball very well and reaching base regularly, but before last night, his last steal was at the end of July. For this reason, don’t waste time on him right now as he simply does not look comfortable stealing.

Finally, after a hot start running the bases, Pirates left fielder Jose Tabata has cooled off significantly. After April 23, Tabata had nine steals, but nearly four months later, he has picked up just five more, bumping his season total up to 14. Most of that can be blamed on his quadriceps injury which has sidelined him since late June. Still, in the months of May and June, he was not running as much as he had in April. Tabata has recently returned to the Pirates lineup but as he recovers from his leg injury, it will be difficult for him to try and steal. He had much promise entering the season, but unfortunately his injury has damaged that. Hitting has also been a problem for Tabata, so don’t be surprised if he gets extra time off to clear his head and get back on track. At this time, Tabata cannot be trusted to run or perform on a consistent basis and the most logical idea seems to go after him next season. That wraps up this week – hope to see you back again next week.

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This deal came closer to the deadline than the U.S. Budget Crisis, with the final trade being agreed upon by a slightly sweaty DiFino following his Monday gym workout while an exhausted Zinkie forwarded the details to the league commissioner on an overused and slightly greasy Iphone before finishing making Monday’s dinner.

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