I think there's a chance JD opts out because of all the noise happening with the Sox these days, and all the rumors that he'll be traded if he doesn't opt out. He might prefer to control his own destiny even if it costs him a few mill.
One thing I did not realize until recently is that Bill James is not a proponent of using WAR to determine the MVP award. He came up with his own stat called Win Shares which is based on contributions to actual wins by the team.
As notin has suggested, what seems to be chocking by Verlander may actually be fatigue...
Maybe the Stros should have managed his innings a bit more this year.
OTOH he hasn't f**ked anything up yet.
I wonder if he truly realizes what kind of nutjob fanbase he has scrutinizing him now.
The same ones who called Theo Epstein Boy Genius, Boy Blunder, Gorilla Suit, Inepstein, Epstink and the like.
Everyone is entitled to their own take, but to me the bottom line is whether the team that wins it all is one you would have called a longshot going into the playoffs.
Sure, the Cards knocked off the Braves, but they promptly got stomped the next round.
This is about who can win 3 series in a row.
But if they win this World Series that will be 2 championships and 1 ALCS appearance.
That clearly makes them the dominant team of the 3 years, results-wise, regardless of the closeness of the series.