Price took the American League by a storm in 2010. Leading the Rays’ rotation at the age of just 23, he finished the season with an astounding 19-6 record accompanied by a stellar 2.72 ERA, nearly winning the A.L. Cy Young award. Although the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez edged him out for the honor, baseball took notice on Price’s exceptional season. Yet, this was just the tip of the iceberg for him.

The bar was obviously set extremely high for Price coming into the 2011 season after carving up the American league the year before. The flamethrower logged 224.1 innings, a career-high, but his ERA jumped from 2.72 in 2010 to 3.49 in 2011. Plus, he had his first losing campaign as a pro with a 12-13 record. Lack of run support, bad luck, and fatigue were all factors that doomed Price of a repeat Cy Young caliber season. However, he’s come back stronger than ever this season.

The experienced, but still young Price, ranks in the top ten in several major categories. Although the Rays’ offense has struggled mightily to put runs on the board, Price has managed to scratch out a major league leading 13 wins. Additionally, he ranks fourth in the AL with a 2.64 ERA, ninth in strikeouts per nine rate (8.5), and eighth in WHIP (1.17). Then again, his already impressive resumé could go on for pages.

The real question is whether or not he’s better than the likes of Justin Verlander, Jered Weaver, and Felix Hernandez? On any given day he can be as electric as anyone in baseball. That’s obvious. But the beauty of Price, is the fact that he’s three years younger than Verlander and Weaver, while he and Hernandez are both only 26 years of age.

Statistically, Weaver and Verlander boast slightly better ERA’s than Price. However King Felix (4.0) and Verlander (4.3) own the top two spots in the American league in the WAR department, while Price (2.5) sits just a tick above Weaver (2.4). What separates Price from the rest of the pack, though, are his 13 wins. While collecting wins has a lot to do with a team’s offense, it still a stat that is worth noting. In most cases, earning a victory involves keeping your respective team in the game, hoping your offense to provides you with a lead. Price has done just that in 2012. Just twice has he allowed more than four runs, and just once has he pitched less than five innings. He keeps his team competitive and gives them a chance to win nearly every game he takes the mound.

The trait that all four of these pitchers have in common is their durability. All four have pitched at least 125 innings this season, (except Weaver who missed a good chunk of June and July with an injury). While either of them could be labeled as the “best,” it’s the minor things that count. Verlander, Hernandez, and Weaver all lead in a specific stat, but Price ranks in the top-ten in most stats. It’s not just one single stat that makes Price the best, it’s the consistency across all the stats that makes him the best pitcher in the American league.

You could make a great case for Weaver, Verlander, and Hernandez as the top pitcher in the American League. But at just 26 years of age, when all said and done, David Price is a bit better than the rest. Price has the chance to be the top dog this year in the A.L. Cy Young voting and quite possibly for the next decade. The Rays and their fans couldn’t ask for more from their ace.