As we move along into September, it’s time to look back at a wild August that saw the Blue Jays take hold of the AL East, the Mets take hold of the NL East, and the Angels and Nationals begin to completely fall apart. Let’s reflect on the best and worst players of August.
AL Best Hitter of the Month: Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion and teammate Josh Donaldson were 1 and 1A this month in the AL, but while Donaldson was the better all-around player, Encarnacion was the better all-around hitter. In August, E-5 hit .407/.460/.907 (yes, a .907 slugging) with 11 homers and 35 RBI. His ISO was .500, and his wOBA was an unreal .552. Now that he’s healthy and killing the ball, Toronto can rest a bit easier.
Honorable mentions: Jackie Bradley Jr, Michael Brantley, Nelson Cruz, Josh Donaldson, David Ortiz
April winner: Adam Jones
May winner: Jason Kipnis
June winner: Albert Pujols
Midseason winner: Mike Trout
July winner: Mike Trout
AL Worst Hitter of the Month: JJ Hardy. It hasn’t been a good year for Baltimore’s long-time shortstop, and even though his month ended a week early because of a groin strain, he still deserves to be singled out. For the month, Hardy hit just .157/.189/.186 with three walks and two extra base hits – both doubles. Hardy’s been a hot and cold player throughout his career, but he’s never been as bad as he has been this season – .222/.253/.315 in year one of a three-year, $40 million contract extension, and he’ll end up playing in his fewest games in a season since 2010 (his lone year with the Twins).
Dishonorable mentions: Alcides Escobar, Torii Hunter, Omar Infante, Victor Martinez, Mike Zunino
April “winner”: Matt Joyce
May “winner”: Stephen Drew
June “winner”: Mark Trumbo
Midseason “winner”: Alexei Ramirez
July “winner”: Stephen Vogt
CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 06: Joey Votto #19 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a double in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park on August 6, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NL Best Hitter of the Month: Joey Votto. While Votto was injured last season, I think we all forgot just how damn good he is. In 28 games this August, Votto hit .314/.524/.616 with six homers, walking in over 30% of his plate appearances for the month (suck it, Marty Brennaman). On the year, Votto has hit 25 homers (his most since 2011 and is getting on base at a .456 clip, the second-highest mark of his career. So much for those who said he couldn’t be selective at the plate *and* hit for power – he’s been one of the lone bright spots this season for the Reds.
Honorable mentions: Kris Bryant, Andrew McCutchen, David Peralta, AJ Pollock, Cameron Rupp
April winner: Adrian Gonzalez
May winner: Bryce Harper
June winner: Giancarlo Stanton
Midseason winner: Bryce Harper
July winner: Carlos Gonzalez
NL Worst Hitter of the Month: Jay Bruce. Despite receiving interest in July, the Reds didn’t trade Jay Bruce before the trade deadline. He repaid them by hitting .150/.185/.292 for the month with two homers and three stolen bases. Gee, it’s a good thing Cincinnati kept him around to aid them in their quest for the top overall pick in next June’s MLB Draft.
Dishonorable mentions: Nick Ahmed, Michael Bourn, Yasmani Grandal, Justin Turner, Kolten Wong
April “winner”: Chase Utley
May “winner”: Matt Kemp
June “winner”: Jean Segura
Midseason “winner”: Chase Utley
July “winner”: Starlin Castro
TORONTO, CANADA – AUGUST 31: David Price #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the first inning during MLB game action against the Cleveland Indians on August 31, 2015 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
AL Best Pitcher of the Month: David Price. I normally don’t defer to the narrative…but man, David Price has been awesome with the Blue Jays. In six starts, he’s pitched 43 1/3 innings (most in the AL for August), punching out 50, walking eight, and pitching to a 2.28 ERA. Could Price end up claiming his second AL Cy Young award this season? It’s still well within the realm of possibility, though he’ll likely be punished by silly voters for his 13-5 record…despite receiving no decisions in five quality starts this year.
Honorable mentions: Carlos Carrasco, Mike Fiers, Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh, Justin Verlander
April winner: Chris Archer
May winner: Corey Kluber
June winner: Chris Sale
Midseason winner: Chris Sale
July winner: Scott Kazmir
AL Worst Pitcher of the Month: Jeff Samardzija. It’s been a season to forget for Samardzija. He went 0-6 in six starts this month. Over 33 2/3 innings, his ERA has a ghastly 8.82, though his 31 strikeouts and 13 walks were largely fine. The .324/.401/.604 line was not fine, however. Shark is still going to get a qualifying offer from the White Sox, but his dreams of a nine figure contract this winter may have been dashed.
Dishonorable mentions: Miguel Gonzalez, Anibal Sanchez, Ervin Santana, Hector Santiago, Alfredo Simon
April “winner”: Ross Detwiler
May “winner”: Justin Masterson
June “winner”: Jered Weaver
Midseason “winner”: Rick Porcello
July “winner”: Shane Greene
LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 30: Jake Arrieta #49 of the Chicago Cubs the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
NL Best Pitcher of the Month: Jake Arrieta. The NL Cy Young race isn’t over, but Jake Arrieta staked his claim to the award in August, capping off the month with a no-hitter on Sunday night in Los Angeles. In six starts, Arrieta went 6-0 over 42 1/3 innings, striking out 43, walking ten, and allowing just two earned runs. Yes, he got very lucky, allowing a .183 BABIP and stranding 87.1% of runners, but that doesn’t take away from just how good he was in August.
Honorable mentions: Madison Bumgarner, Gerrit Cole, Jaime Garcia, Clayton Kershaw, Michael Wacha
April winner: Johnny Cueto
May winner: Max Scherzer
June winner: Jacob deGrom
Midseason winner: Max Scherzer
July winner: Clayton Kershaw
NL Worst Pitcher of the Month: Matt Cain. THROUGH HELL, FIRE, AND BRIMSTONE, IT’S…oh, it’s just Matt Cain. In five starts and 24 2/3 innings in August, Cain allowed 22 runs, struck out 15, and walked ten while also allowing opposing hitters to provide a .343/.424/.631 line with seven homers. He was also placed on the DL before the month came to a close. Remember when Cain was a lock for 200+ innings and an above average ERA? Well, he hasn’t thrown 200 innings or posted an ERA under 4.00 since 2012, and the Giants are still on the hook for over $50 million to him. This could get ugly, folks.
Dishonorable mentions: Mike Foltynewicz, Aaron Harang, David Holmberg, Williams Perez, Matt Wisler
April “winner”: Ryan Vogelsong
May “winner”: Stephen Strasburg
June “winner”: Tim Lincecum
Midseason “winner”: Kyle Lohse
July “winner”: Kyle Kendrick
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 18: Miguel Sano #22 of the Minnesota Twins hits a two run home run in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees on August 18, 2015 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
AL Best Rookie of the Month: Miguel Sano. If Sano didn’t come up so late this year, he’d be a legitimate, top-tier AL Rookie of the Year candidate. But with just 49 games under his belt going into September, it’s not going to happen. Sano wins the honor for the second month in a row thanks to a nine homer, .278/.377/.629 August. For the season, Sano is third among AL rookies in homers behind Carlos Correa and Steven Souza, who have played in 20 and 40 more games respectively than Sano. It’s a shame, but that’s the way life goes sometimes.
Honorable mentions: Rusney Castillo, Alex Colome, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Travis Shaw
April winner: Devon Travis
May winner: Steven Souza Jr
June winner: Carlos Correa
Midseason winner: Devon Travis
July winner: Miguel Sano
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – AUGUST 26: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs bats against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on August 26, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
NL Best Rookie of the Month: Kris Bryant. is the NL Rookie of the Year race over? No, of course not. Did Kris Bryant really help his case in August after a couple of down months? YUP. Bryant hit .330/.422/.620 for the month with seven homers, and he’s just two dingers back of Joc Pederson for the NL rookie lead. His .367 wOBA for the year ranks fourth, behind three players that have all received vastly less playing time than him. He’s also cracked the 5.0 fWAR mark. I’m not ready to call it yet, but we’re getting pretty close.
Honorable mentions: Michael Conforto, Kiké Hernandez, Raisel Iglesias, Stephen Piscotty, Cameron Rupp
April winner: Joc Pederson
May winner: Kris Bryant
June winner: Maikel Franco
Midseason winner: Joc Pederson
July winner: Jung-ho Kang
