Players of the Month

July produced two outstanding performances by two of the games big stars, Jose Altuve and Bryce Harper. Altuve led the majors in OBP, posting a .523 mark to go along with a .485 batting average. It is the highest monthly batting average (minimum 90 PA) since Ivan Rodriguez hit .500 in June of 2004. The Day by Day Database goes back to 1957, and in that time it is the sixth highest monthly average:

Players with a > .470 BA in a month, 1957-2017, Min 90 PA

Batter	Month	Season	Hits	At Bats	Batting Avg
Todd Helton	5	2000	42	82	0.512
Ivan Rodriguez	6	2004	43	86	0.500
George Brett	7	1980	42	85	0.494
Rod Carew	6	1977	54	111	0.486
Wade Boggs	6	1987	49	101	0.485
Jose Altuve	7	2017	48	99	0.485
Todd Helton	8	2000	50	105	0.476
Paul Molitor	9	1989	49	103	0.476
Dave Winfield	6	1984	49	103	0.476
Richard Hidalgo	9	2000	49	103	0.476
Tony Gwynn	6	1987	44	93	0.473
Barry Bonds	4	2004	25	53	0.472
Lance Berkman	5	2008	49	104	0.471
Wade Boggs	5	1986	48	102	0.471

That list makes Altuve look like a Hall of Famer.

Harper led the majors in slugging percentage at .778, with half his 34 hits going for extra bases. Altuve did well in this category (as Harper did well in OBP). Notice that in both lists, Anthony Rendon finished just behind Altuve. Rendon would win the award in a lot of months, but it’s tough when you are just behind one of the best in two categories. Harper scored more runs and drove in more runs that Altuve, which is pretty amazing given the level of offense produced by the Astros. Altuve also added the element of base running, going eight for ten in stolen bases.

Both players produced 19 game hit streaks in the month.

It’s a tough call, but Altuve’s month was historic. He gets the nod as the Baseball Musings Offensive Players of the Month for July 2017.

On the pitching side, there were a number of outstanding performances in July. Anyone in the top top seven of the ERA list could easily get the nod. Chris Sale produced the lowest ERA (30 Innings pitched minimum) with outstanding strikeout and walk rates. The similar arguments based on low ERA, high strikeouts, and low walks could be made for Aaron Nola, Rich Hill, and Michael Wacha. There is one other stand out, James Paxton. Paxton produced a 1.37 ERA, third in the majors. He k’d 10.5 per nine, not quite as good as the others but still outstanding. He walked just 1.37 per nine innings, which was better than Sale. Of the great group, he pitched he most innings, 39 1/3, and did not allow a home run. In a year when home runs are king, that’s quite an accomplishment. His 6-0 record doesn’t hurt, either. James Paxton is the Baseball Musings Pitcher of the Month for July 2017!

Congratulations to Altuve and Paxton on their achievements.

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