The final month of the 2015 season has concluded, and while we still have three (or four!) October regular season games left, this is the end of the road. Which players shined the most in September? Good question…
AL Best Hitter of the Month: Shin-Soo Choo. Remember when Shin-Soo Choo was completely unproductive, hurt all the time, and his contract looked like a disaster in the making? Wait, that happened earlier this year? Imagine that. Anyway, Choo is playing quite well in the second half as Texas puts the finishing touches on its playoff push. In 28 September games, Choo hit .404/.515/.625. Despite hitting only five home runs and six doubles, Choo walked more than he struck out and singled 30 times over the course of the month. Any time a guy can get on base in more than half of his plate appearances, he deserves some love.
Honorable mentions: Jose Bautista, Mookie Betts, Chris Davis, Francisco Lindor, Mike Trout
April winner: Adam Jones
May winner: Jason Kipnis
June winner: Albert Pujols
Midseason winner: Mike Trout
July winner: Mike Trout
August winner: Edwin Encarnacion
AL Worst Hitter of the Month: Gerardo Parra. It’s not Parra’s fault the Orioles fell apart down the stretch…but the team’s biggest deadline acquisition didn’t help at all in September. For the month, Parra hit .178/.194/.233. He walked only twice in 95 plate appearances, and hit just five doubles over the course of the month. Given the struggles of teammates JJ Hardy, Adam Jones, and Steve Pearce down the stretch, it’s not fair to point the finger directly at Parra – but he was the worst of the bunch.
Dishonorable mentions: Lonnie Chisenhall, Jacoby Ellsbury, Alcides Escobar, JJ Hardy, Chase Headley
April “winner”: Matt Joyce
May “winner”: Stephen Drew
June “winner”: Mark Trumbo
Midseason “winner”: Alexei Ramirez
July “winner”: Stephen Vogt
August “winner”: JJ Hardy
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 15: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals hits a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 15, 2015 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Nationals defeated the Phillies 4-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
NL Best Hitter of the Month: Bryce Harper. Kill the damn narrative. Harper hit .341/.483/.761 in September with ten homers. Only Nolan Arenado had more homers, only Joey Votto had a higher OBP, no one had a higher slugger, and Harper’s batting average was fifth in the NL for the month as well. He also walked 26 times, second-most in the league, and struck out 21 times. Talk about ending on a high note for the NL MVP.
Honorable mentions: Nolan Arenado, Matt Carpenter, Starlin Castro, Yoenis Cespedes, Joey Votto
April winner: Adrian Gonzalez
May winner: Bryce Harper
June winner: Giancarlo Stanton
Midseason winner: Bryce Harper
July winner: Carlos Gonzalez
August winner: Joey Votto
NL Worst Hitter of the Month: Wilson Ramos. From one National to another. Ramos has had a rough year, and he stunk in September. Over 25 games, Washington’s backstop hit .180/.200/.303…and that was *with* three homers. He only walked three times and doubled twice in his 95 plate appearances. Just not an ideal season all-around for him.
Dishonorable mentions: Chris Owings, Joc Pederson, Andrelton Simmons, Darnell Sweeney, Michael Taylor
April “winner”: Chase Utley
May “winner”: Matt Kemp
June “winner”: Jean Segura
Midseason “winner”: Chase Utley
July “winner”: Starlin Castro
August “winner”: Jay Bruce
ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 26: David Price #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the first inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 26, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
AL Best Pitcher of the Month: David Price. Plenty of viable options this month, but I went with the guy who helped his team to the playoffs and *possibly* claimed the AL Cy Young award. Price went 5-0 in his five starts for the Blue Jays in September, pitching to a 2.32 ERA while striking out 37 and walking ten in 31 innings. He’s been exactly what the Jays have needed at the top of their rotation, and the team probably isn’t a playoff squad without him.
Honorable mentions: Tyler Duffey, Jose Quintana, Ervin Santana, Drew Smyly, Justin Verlander
April winner: Chris Archer
May winner: Corey Kluber
June winner: Chris Sale
Midseason winner: Chris Sale
July winner: Scott Kazmir
August winner: David Price
AL Worst Pitcher of the Month: Felix Doubront. An 8.33 ERA, 20 strikeouts, 10 walks, and eight homers in 27 innings. I mean…that takes some skill, right? There were actually two other A’s that could have “won” this “honor” this month (excluding Barry Zito), so I guess it’s something in the Bay Area water.
Dishonorable mentions: Matt Boyd, Aaron Brooks, Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Chris Tillman
April “winner”: Ross Detwiler
May “winner”: Justin Masterson
June “winner”: Jered Weaver
Midseason “winner”: Rick Porcello
July “winner”: Shane Greene
August “winner”: Jeff Samardzija
LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 30: Jake Arrieta #49 of the Chicago Cubs pitches during his no hitter against 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. There was no argument to be made for anyone else. In 40 September innings, Arrieta struck out 39, walked four, and allowed three runs (two earned). Just a gross month overall for Arrieta, and incredibly, it hasn’t sealed up the NL Cy Young award for him. That shows how strong the NL’s pitching is this year.
Honorable mentions: JA Happ, Clayton Kershaw, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Stephen Strasburg
April winner: Johnny Cueto
May winner: Max Scherzer
June winner: Jacob deGrom
Midseason winner: Max Scherzer
July winner: Clayton Kershaw
August winner: Jake Arrieta
NL Worst Pitcher of the Month: Michael Wacha. Wacha’s 7.88 ERA wasn’t the highest of any pitcher this month, but considering his role on the Cardinals, his struggles in September are worrisome. In 24 innings, Wacha struck out 19…and walked 18. He allowed seven homers as well – compared to just six over the entire 2014 season, and 12 over his first 167 innings in 2015. Is there reason to be worried here for St. Louis?
Dishonorable mentions: Alec Asher, Mike Bolsinger, Taylor Jungmann, Kyle Kendrick, Charlie Morton
April “winner”: Ryan Vogelsong
May “winner”: Stephen Strasburg
June “winner”: Tim Lincecum
Midseason “winner”: Kyle Lohse
July “winner”: Kyle Kendrick
August “winner”: Matt Cain
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 09: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians dives into third base with a triple in the 1st inning against the Chicago White Sox
at U.S. Cellular Field on September 0, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
AL Best Rookie of the Month: Francisco Lindor. This AL Rookie of the Year vote is going to be insane. Lindor hit .362/.395/.657 in September with five homers (and four triples, for what it’s worth), becoming the latest AL rookie to surge to the top of the pack. Lindor actually leads front-runner Carlos Correa in both batting average and OBP this years, trails him by just eight points in slugging, and has been a vastly better defender Will Correa’s edge in home runs be enough to give him the advantage at the end of the season? It’s anyone’s best guess, but his pedestrian final month has opened the door.
Honorable mentions: Cody Anderson, Greg Bird, Mikie Mahtook, Ketel Marte, Miguel Sano
April winner: Devon Travis
May winner: Steven Souza Jr
June winner: Carlos Correa
Midseason winner: Devon Travis
July winner: Miguel Sano
August winner: Miguel Sano
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 22: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs acknowledges the crowd after hitting a two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning at Wrigley Field on September 22, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The blast was Bryant’s 25th of the season, breaking Hall of Famer Billy Williams’s rookie home run record set in 1961. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
NL Best Rookie of the Month: Kris Bryant. Crown his ass. There isn’t much of a race in the NL anymore. Bryant stayed hot in September, hitting .336/.383/.561 with five homers for the playoff-bound Cubs. A variety of factors bounced his top competitors this season, including injury (Maikel Franco, Jung-Ho Kang) and a vicious second-half slump (Joc Pederson). Bryant’s last remaining competition is Matt Duffy, who only has advantages in batting averages and defensive prowess.
Honorable mentions: Justin Bour, Adam Conley, JT Realmuto, Jason Rogers, Corey Seager
April winner: Joc Pederson
May winner: Kris Bryant
June winner: Maikel Franco
Midseason winner: Joc Pederson
July winner: Jung-ho Kang
August winner: Kris Bryant
