The month of July is now in our rear-view mirror, and we begin the look ahead to August. Which players reigned supreme in July? Without any further ado…
AL Best Hitter of the Month: Mike Trout. Oh, it’s *this* guy again. In July, Trout took his game to a ridiculous level, hitting .367/.462/.861 with 12 homers in just 21 games. For the season, Trout is just four homers shy of tying his career-high, and he’s putting together the best offensive season of his career. Oh, and he turns 24 on Friday. No AL hitter was even in Trout’s ballpark this month.
Honorable mentions: Lorenzo Cain, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira
April winner: Adam Jones
May winner: Jason Kipnis
June winner: Albert Pujols
Midseason winner: Mike Trout
AL Worst Hitter of the Month: Stephen Vogt. So, regression sure was a bitch this month for this AL All-Star. He homered just once in 21 games, and struggled his way to a .163/.193/.225 line. Vogt’s stats for the season are now spiraling down towards his career norms, and this All-Star berth might look more and more odd a couple of years down the road.
Dishonorable mentions: Torii Hunter, Adam LaRoche, Jimmy Paredes, Salvador Perez, Marcus Semien
April “winner”: Matt Joyce
May “winner”: Stephen Drew
June “winner”: Mark Trumbo
Midseason “winner”: Alexei Ramirez
DENVER, CO – JULY 26: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies rounds third base on his way to scoring off of a two run RBI triple by Ben Paulsen #10 during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field on July 26, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
NL Best Hitter of the Month: Carlos Gonzalez. I still can’t believe the Rockies didn’t trade Gonzalez after his best month in *years*. This July, Gonzalez hit .386/.438/.841 with 11 homers. To put that in perspective, he hit 11 homers during the entire 2014 season. Gonzalez is owed roughly $45 million through 2017, and this was the best opportunity for the Rockies to move along from their injury-prone star outfielder.
Honorable mentions: Adrian Gonzalez, Jung-ho Kang, Gerardo Parra, David Peralta, Joey Votto
April winner: Adrian Gonzalez
May winner: Bryce Harper
June winner: Giancarlo Stanton
Midseason winner: Bryce Harper
NL Worst Hitter of the Month: Starlin Castro. Oh dear. The Cubs were rumored to be shopping Castro at the trade deadline, but they would have been selling the 25-year old shortstop when his value was at its absolute lowest. Castro has a .248 wOBA and 51 wRC+ for the season, statistics helped out by a July in which he hit .170/.194/.202 with just three doubles and four walks. “Only” about $40 million left through 2019, Cubs…maybe Castro will start to hit to finish off the year and the Cubs can recoup *some* value for him.
Dishonorable mentions: Nick Ahmed, Joc Pederson, Jace Peterson, Andrelton Simmons, Ichiro Suzuki
April “winner”: Chase Utley
May “winner”: Matt Kemp
June “winner”: Jean Segura
Midseason “winner”: Chase Utley
HOUSTON, TX – JULY 30: Scott Kazmir #26 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during their game at Minute Maid Park on July 30, 2015 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
AL Best Pitcher of the Month: Scott Kazmir. Five starts, 34 innings, one run. No wonder the Astros acted quick to acquire him from the Athletics. Kazmir’s strikeout and walk numbers for the month weren’t exactly stellar (he punched out 24 and walked six), but when you only give up one run for the month, you’re gonna get some love in these parts.
Honorable mentions: Chris Archer, Mark Buehrle, Corey Kluber, Jose Quintana, Chris Tillman
April winner: Chris Archer
May winner: Corey Kluber
June winner: Chris Sale
Midseason winner: Chris Sale
AL Worst Pitcher of the Month: Shane Greene. Remember when Shane Greene was A Thing and the next great Tigers starter? In three starts and one relief appearance in July for Detroit, Greene threw just 14 2/3 innings, striking out six, walking eight, and allowing a startling 20 earned runs, giving him a 12.27 ERA for the month. Before being moved to the bullpen at the end of the month, Greene hadn’t completed the fifth inning in an outing since May 25th, and hadn’t allowed fewer than three runs in an appearance since May 20th. That’s a long time to stick with a guy who just wasn’t getting the job done.
Dishonorable mentions: JA Happ, Matt Moore, Bud Norris, Martin Perez, Wandy Rodriguez
April “winner”: Ross Detwiler
May “winner”: Justin Masterson
June “winner”: Jered Weaver
Midseason “winner”: Rick Porcello
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 23: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 23, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NL Best Pitcher of the Month: Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw only made four starts in July. But in those four starts, he threw 33 innings, struck out 45 (the second-highest total in the NL for the month *despite* just four starts), walked only two, and allowed….one run. One damn run. He threw more wild pitches (two) than runs allowed (one). Hell, he also only gave up 19 hits, less than half of his strikeout total for the month. Rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Honorable mentions: Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke, Mike Leake, Jon Lester, Noah Syndergaard
April winner: Johnny Cueto
May winner: Max Scherzer
June winner: Jacob deGrom
Midseason winner: Max Scherzer
NL Worst Pitcher of the Month: Kyle Kendrick. My boy KK makes his return to the charts! Kendrick made five starts in July, allowed 16 runs in 17 innings, struck out 11, and walked five. His tenure with the Rockies has been more of a disaster than any of us could have imagined, and he’s landed on the DL with some shoulder inflammation. Not great, Bob!
Dishonorable mentions: Chase Anderson, Chad Bettis, Arquimedes Caminero, Deolis Guerra, Michael Lorenzen
April “winner”: Ryan Vogelsong
May “winner”: Stephen Strasburg
June “winner”: Tim Lincecum
Midseason “winner”: Kyle Lohse
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 12: Miguel Sano #22 of the Minnesota Twins hits a two-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of the game on July 12, 2015 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
AL Best Rookie of the Month: Miguel Sano. To show how ridiculous the AL Rookie of the Year race is, we have our fourth different monthly winner – Twins third baseman Miguel Sano. For the month, sano hit .297/.424/.541 with four homers, interjecting himself into a chaotic Rookie of the Year race. The door is wide open for anyone, perhaps even Sano, to break through, because both Devon Travis and Steven Souza Jr. are on the DL. Carlos Correa, the honor may be yours…
Honorable mentions: Curt Casali, Carlos Correa, Andrew Heaney, Devon Travis, Preston Tucker
April winner: Devon Travis
May winner: Steven Souza Jr
June winner: Carlos Correa
Midseason winner: Devon Travis
CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 01: Jung Ho Kang #27 of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits the ball in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 1, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NL Best Rookie of the Month: Jung-ho Kang. Not Kris Bryant, not Joc Pederson, but Jung-ho Kang. Imagine that. Kang got hot in July, smashing his way to a .379/.443/.621 line with three homers. Bryant and Pederson both struggled in July, and the door in *this* race also may be opening a hair for someone like Kang, Maikel Franco, Matt Duffy, or Randal Grichuk to blast through.
Honorable mentions: Randal Grichuk, Odubel Herrera, Chris Heston, Taylor Jungmann, Noah Syndergaard
April winner: Joc Pederson
May winner: Kris Bryant
June winner: Maikel Franco
Midseason winner: Joc Pederson
