It’s July 1, and – as always – the start of a new month signals Baseball Roundtable’s wrap up of the previous month. So, here we go with another (perhaps, too) detailed look at the stats and stories that grabbed BBRT’s attention in June, as well as a look at the standings and stars (BBRT’s players/pitchers of the month). This post does tend to run a bit long, but I’m confident that – along the way – you’ll find a treasure or two that appeals to you.
BBRT TROT INDEX … THROUGH JUNE
Through June 30, 35.0 percent of all MLB 2018 plate appearances had ended in a trot (back to the dugout, around the bases, to first base). We are talking about strikeouts, home runs, walks, hit-by-pitch and catcher’s interference – all outcomes that are, basically, devoid of action on the base paths or in the field (unless of course a hit batsman should charge the mound). Here’s the breakout:
- Strikeouts – 22.4% of all plate appearances;
- Walks – 8.6%;
- Home Runs – 3.0%;
- Hit By Pitch – 1.0%;
- Catcher’s Interference – .0.02%.
_________________________________________________________________
POST-SEASON SQUADS
If the season ended as the month of June came to a close, your post-season teams would be …
American League: Red Sox; Astros; Indians. Wild Cards: Yankees, Mariners.
National League: Brewers; Braves; Diamondbacks. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies.
Full standings as of the end of play June 30 – and each team’s record for June can be found in a chart later in this post.
_______________________________________________________________________
BEFORE WE LOOK AT JUNE PERFORMANCE AND HIGHLIGHTS …
LET’S SEE BBRT’S PLAYERS AND PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
American League
Player of the Month – Alex Bregman, 3B, Astros
Photo by Keith Allison 
The 24-year-old Alex Bregman really upped his game in June. He came into the month hitting .262, with five home runs, 23 RBI and 28 runs scored in 56 games. In twenty-five June games, he raised his season average 15 points, tripled his home run total, more than doubled his RBI total and nearly doubled his runs scored. For the month, Bregman hit .306, rapped 11 home runs (tied for the most in the AL with the Mariners’ Nelson Cruz), drove in 30 runs (tied for first in the AL with the Astros’ Evan Gattis) and scored 24 (tied for the most in the AL with the Twins’ Eddie Rosario).
Other contenders: Nelson Cruz, DH, Mariners – who powered the Seattle offense with a .326-11-24 June line (and scored 20 runs); Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros – who topped the AL in June average (.354) and base hits (34 – a four-player tie), scored 22 runs, drove in 12, hit three home runs and swiped six bags in seven tries; Mike Trout, CF, Angels – who was second in the AL with a June average of .352 and had an eye-popping .496 on-base percentage for the month. Trout also popped six home runs and drove in 13.
Pitcher of the Month – TIE: Luis Severino, Yankees & Tyler Skaggs, Angels
Yankee righty Luis Severino went 4-1 in five June starts (no AL starter picked up five June wins) and put up the AL’s second-best ERA (among pitchers who tossed at least 25 June innings) at 1.60. Severino also fanned 40 batters in 33 2/3 frames, while walking just five. Now 12-2, 2.10 on the season, he’s putting himself into Cy Young Award contention.
Angels’ southpaw Tyler Skaggs, went 3-1 in five June starts with an MLB-best 0.84 earned run average.His June performance included 36 strikeouts in 32 innings (versus eight walks and 27 hits). On the season, Skaggs is 6-5, 2.64 in 16 starts.
Other contenders: Indians’ right-hander Trevor Bauer has to be right at the top of this list. In fact, with a little better run support, he could have been BBRT’s pitcher of the month. Bauer went 3-3, 2.18 in six June starts (the Indians got him a total of four runs in his three losses). Bauer also led the AL with 62 strikeouts in June, with just 11 walks in 41 1/3 innings; Tampa Bay lefty Blake Snell also deserves mention here, after a 3-1, 1.74 June, during which he also fanned 37 batters in 31 innings.
National League
Player of the Month – Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Diamondbacks
Paul Goldschmidt led all MLB players (with at least 75 plate appearances in June) with a .364 June average – tied for tops in the NL with ten home runs in the month (the Brewers’ Jesus Aguilar and Dodgers’ Max Muncy also had ten); led the NL with 25 runs scored; and was second in the league with 25 June RBI. How badly did Goldschmidt need a big June? He came into the month hitting just .209 (Goldschmidt began the season with a .299 career average over seven MLB campaigns), with just seven home runs and 17 RBI. Clearly, he’s turned his season around.
Other contenders: There were plenty of solid contenders for this recognition in June. BBRT’s leaders are: Cardinals’ OF Marcell Ozuna, with a .333-7-21 month; Brewers’ 1B Jesus Aguilar at .313-10-24; Dodgers’ 1B Max Muncy at .289-10-16; and Phillies’ 3B Rhys Hoskins, who put up a .312-8-22 month.
Pitcher of the Month – Zach Eflin Phillies
Photo by DandreaPhotography
The 24-year-old Phillies’ right-hander tied for the most June wins in MLB at five – going 5-0, with the NL’s third-best earned run average (among pitchers with at least 25 June innings) at 1.76. He also fanned 28 hitters in 30 2/3 innings, walking just six. On the season, Eflin is 6-2. 3.02.
Other Contenders: Cubs’ southpaw Jon Lester went 5-0, 1.13 in June, giving up just four earned runs in five starts (32 innings) – proving you don’t have to be a power pitcher to succeed (he fanned just 20 hitters in those 32 frames.); If Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom pitched for the other New York squad, he surely would have won more than one game in June – given his 2.36 earned run average and NL-topping 49 June strikeouts (42 innings). However, he went only 1-4 in six starts for the month. In the five starts in which he did no pick up a win, the Met tallied a total of seven runs.
________________________________________________________
JUNE’S TOP TEAMS
American League
The Astros and Mariners had June’s top records in the AL, 19-8 and 19-9, respectively. The Astros tied for the AL lead in June scoring (144 runs in 27 games); while the Mariners plated the fifth-most runs (126). Both squads also were among the league’s top-five in June home runs. Among the key offensive contributors for Houston were: Jose Altuve, who hit .354 for the month; Evan Gattis, who drove in a league-topping 30 runs, despite a .265 average; and Alex Bregman (BBRT Player of the Month), who put up a .306-11-30 line (which tied him for the most June home runs and RBI.) Seattle got exceptional offensive performances from Nelson Cruz (.326-11-24 for the month) and Mitch Haniger (.284-6-21). Houston also got solid pitching, with the league’s third-best June earned run average (3.17), while Seattle’s ERA (3.99) was middle of the pack. Also putting up a solid June record: The Yankees (18-9), behind an MLB-best June team earned run average of 2.62, led by Luis Severino (4-1, 1.60), C.C. Sabathia (3-2, 1.93) and a lights out bullpen. The A’s and Red Sox each went 17-10.
Only two AL teams failed to win ten games in June: The Royals (5-21) and the Orioles (6-20). Their problems were deep, as they finished thirteenth and fifteenth in the AL in runs scored and earned run average.
National League
Three teams acheived at least 17 June wins in the NL and they were all in the NL West: Diamondbacks (19-9); Giants (18-10); and Dodgers (17-9). No surprise, these three finished 1-2-3 in earned run average for June: Giants (2.70); D-backs (3.48); Dodgers (3.70). In addition, they put up respectable offensive numbers, with the D-backs scoring 152 runs (second in the NL); the Dodgers plating 140 (fourth); and the Giants 118 (seventh). The Diamondbacks got great June results from a couple of key veterans – Zack Greinke (5-1, 2.97 for the month) on the mound and a resurgent Paul Goldschmidt (.364-10-23) at the plate. The Dodgers got surprising offense (and double-digit June long balls) out of Joc Pederson (.283-10-14) and Max Muncy (.289-10-16). Overall, LA mashed 55 June roundtrippers, eleven more than the nearest runner-up (Yankees) and 18 more than the second-highest NL total for the month (Cardinals – 37). The Giants put up middle-of-the pack offensive numbers, but found quality on the mound. Starters Madison Bumgarner, Andre Suarez and Derek Holland all put up earned run averages under 3.00. The Giants also put the bullpen to good use: Tony Watson (a 0.00 ERA in 13 games); Will Smith (0.75 in 12 appearances); Ty Blach (1.33 in ten games/20 1/3 innings). On offense, Brandon Crawford (.326-4-14) and Andrew McCutchen (.303-6-17) played important roles.
Two teams failed to win ten June contests in the NL and they were both in the NL East: Mets (5-12); National (9-16). They both finished among the league’s four worst June teams in terms of runs scored and earned run average.
______________________________________________
A FEW QUICK OBSERVATIONS BEFORE WE GET INTO DETAIL
- Twenty-three players with at least 75 June at bats hit under .200 – and 17 of them were in the American League.
- Ten pitchers (who threw at least 25 innings) put up earned run averages under 2.00 – led by the Angels’ Tyler Skaggs at 0.84
- The Reds had two pitchers hit Grand Slam home runs in June – Anthony DeSclafani and Michael Lorenzen.
You Want a Piece of Me? The Yes and No of it.
- YES … The Rays’ C.J. Cron led all of MLB in being hit by a pitch through June with 14 plunkings.
- NO … The Angels’ Mike Trout led MLB in intentional walks through June with 11.
- No one pitched more June innings without giving up a run than Ryne Stanek of the Rays, who appeared in 12 games and tossed 15 2/3 scoreless frames – fanning 19 hitters.
- Thirty-five pitchers with at least 20 June innings pitched averaged at least one strikeout per inning. The Rockies’ Jon Gray led the NL a 14.33, while Trevor Bauer led the AL at 13.50.
- Dodgers’ pitcher Ross Stripling fanned 30 batters in 29 June innings – and walked just one; while going 3-1, 2.48.
____________________________________________________________
—TEAM STATISTICS (leaders) FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE—
RUNS SCORED … MLB Team Average – 116
AL: Astros & A’s (144); Red Sox (135)
NL: Rockies (153); D-backs (152); Reds (146)
The Royals scored an MLB-fewest 58 runs (26 games) in June and also hit an MLB-low .193 for the month.
BATTING AVERAGE … MLB Team Average – .244
AL: Astros (.275); Red Sox (.267); Mariners (.265)
NL: Reds (.281); Rockies (.272); Cubs (.268)
HOME RUNS … MLB Team Average – 31
AL: Yankees (44); A’s (43); Astros (41)
NL: Dodgers (55); D-backs & Cardinals (37)
STOLEN BASES … MLB Team Average – 13
AL: Indians (29); Red Sox (25); White Sox (17)
NL: Brewers (23); Nationals (21); Cubs (17)
The Blue Jays and Cardinals stayed on the bag(s) in June – each swiping an MLB-low four bases.
STRIKEOUTS … MLB Team Average – 226
AL: White Sox (285); Rays (252)’ Tigers (249)
NL: Phillies (254); Cubs (253); Marlins (251)
The Pirates topped the major in pinch hits in June with 13 and their .333 pinch-hitting average (13-for-39) for the month trailed only the A’s at .444 (8-for-18) and Mariners at .400 (two-for-five).
EARNED RUN AVERAGE … MLB Average – 4.04
AL: Yankees (2.62); Rays (2.92); Astros (3.17)
NL: Giants (2.70); D-backs (3.48); Dodgers (3.70)
ERA North of Six
The Rockies put up June’s worst team earned run average at 6.20. Only two other teams even reached 5.00 – Royals (5.11) and Phillies (5.26).
STRIKEOUTS … MLB Average – 276
AL: Astros (290); Yankees (282); Indians (248)
NL: Phillies (257); Rockies (247); D-backs (238)
The Astros had MLB best strikeouts per nine innings ratio at 10.70 – and nine of MLB’s 30 teams recorded a strikeout or more per inning for the month.
SAVES … MLB Average – 7
AL: Mariners (13); Yankees & A’s (11); Rangers (10)
NL: Dodgers (10); Reds & Phillies (9)
The Yankees (11 saves), Marlins (8 saves) and Indians (7 saves) were the only teams without a blown save in June.
______________________________________________________________________
Now let’s take a look at some plays and achievements that caught BBRT’s eye.
—–A FEW HIGLIGHTS FROM JUNE—-
Diamondbacks Show June Likely to be a “More of the Same” Month
BBRT has written often about the current era of home runs and strikeouts (hard-throwing/free-swinging baseball). The Diamondbacks started June with a performance that promised a continuation of that trend. Not only did D-backs’ pitchers fan ten Marlins in a 9-1 win, Diamondbacks’ hitters tied a franchise record with six home runs in the game (Ketel Marte –two and one each for Daniel Descalso, Jake Lamb, David Peralta, John Ryan Murphy).
One Snell of a Start
Photo by petestokke
Another harbinger of more of the same – a season of whacks (home runs) and whiffs (strikeouts) came on June 3. Blake Snell started on the mound for the Rays (at the Mariners). Snell fanned the first seven Mariners he faced, tying the American League record for K’s to open a game. Snell got a no-decision in the contest, won by the Mariners 2-1. The Rays’ starter gave up just two hits (no runs) and fanned twelve in six innings.
More #WhyIHateTheDH
Max Scherzer is arguably the currently the best pitcher in baseball – and, apparently, no slouch with the bat. On June 2, the Nationals were locked in a 13-inning two-two tie with the Braves in Atlanta. In the top of the 14th, with no one on, one out and pitcher Justin Miller due to hit, the Nats went to the bench for a little offense – bringing in Scherzer to pinch hit. The three-time Cy Young Award winner delivered a pinch-hit single and eventually scored the winning run.
Need more? Read on.
In the bottom of the fifth inning of a June 7 contest against the Rockies, the Reds found themselves trailing 3-1. Starting pitcher Tyler Mahle was the slated batter, so the Reds sent up a pinch-hitter – relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen. Lorenzen laced a single off Tyler Anderson and (even though I’m not a fan of these new statistics) Statcast TM measured the ball’s exit velocity at 116.5 MPH (the highest of any Reds’ batter on the season and the hardest hit by a pitcher in the Statcast era.).
Just seventeen days later (June 24), Lorenzen was called on to pinch hit again – coming up with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and the Reds trailing the Cubs 5-0. This time, he took Cubs’ starter Mike Montgomery deep, punching a solo home run down the left field line for the Reds’ first tally. (The Reds eventually prevailed by an 8-6 score.)
And Lorenzen wasn’t done yet. The Reds’ reliever homered again on June 29.
Wait, there’s more.
On June 30, the Reds called on Lorenzen to pinch hit once again. This time with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh of a game in which the Reds led the Brewers 6-3. Lorenzen delivered a Grand Slam. So, between June 24 and June 30, Lorenzen made four plate appearances and went three-for-three, with three home runs, a walk, three runs scored and six RBI.
Still not convinced?
On June 23, Reds’ starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani came to the plate with two outs, the bases loaded. Facing Cubs’ reliever Brian Duensing, DeSclafani worked the count to 3-2 and then laced a Grand Slam home run to deep left. Yes, the Reds got Grand Slams from two different pitchers in the same month.
GOTTA WIN THE CLOSE ONES
On June 27-28, the Mariners topped the Orioles 8-7 in eleven innings and 4-2 in ten innings – making them:
- 3-0 in extra inning contests in June;
- 8-0 in extra frames on the season;
- and on a streak of 14 consecutive overtime wins dating back to July 16 of last season. (At the other end of the spectrum, the Angels have the worst 2018 record in extra-inning games – through June – at 1-7.)
The Mariners, who ended June with a 53-31 record, have shown a propensity to win the close ones. Twenty-five of their 2018 victories have been by a single tally.
Youth Will Be Served – and More of “Yes, we track everything.”
On June 13, the Nationals’ rookie sensation – 19-year-old Juan Soto – bashed a pair of home runs as the Nats prevailed 5-4 over New York at Yankee Stadium. The two long balls not only led to a Nationals’ victory, but made Soto just the fourth teenager to record a multi-homer game at Yankee Stadium (old or new). The others were the Mariners’ Ken Griffey, Jr. (May 30,. 1989); The Braves’ Andruw Jones (in Game One of the 1996 World Series); and – the most unlikely of the quartet – the White Sox’ Brian McCall (September 30, 1962). Why was McCall the most unlikely? His MLB career was comprised of only seven games and his two home runs and three RBI in the Yankee Stadium tilt were his career totals in both categories.
Base Hits Not Foreign to Beltre
On June 13, in the fourth inning of a Rangers 3-2 loss to the Dodgers in LA, Texas’ 3B Adrian Beltre lined a 2-2 pitch to center, for a double off LA’s Kent Maeda. The hit, coming in Beltre’s 21st MLB season, was his 3,090th – pushing him past Ichiro Suzuki for the most base hits by a foreign-born major leaguer. The 39-year-old Beltre is showing little sign of slowing down. He ended June hitting .311 on the season – and extended his hit total to 3,107 (21st all-time)
Not Too Handy
On June 18, Giants’ closer Hunter Strickland blew more than his fourth save of the campaign – he also blew six-to-eight weeks of his 2018 season. That day, Strickland came into a contest against the Marlins with his Giants up 4-2 in the top of the ninth. Seeking his 14th save of 2018, Strickland started by walking Brian Anderson after a tough eight-pitch battle. J.T. Realmuto then hit a first-pitch double, scoring Anderson – and Strickland’s troubles were just beginning. He followed with a five-pitch walk to Justin Bour (with Jose Urena coming in to pinch run). Then Strickland induced a grounder to short out of Cameron Maybin. The Giants took the force at second, leaving runners on first and third, with one out and San Francisco still up by a run. Line drive singles off Strickland by Lewis Brinson and Miguel Rojas followed – giving the Marlins a 5-4 lead and ending Strickland’s outing with a blown saves and a loss.
Frustrated, Strickland punched a door after leaving the field, breaking his right index finger. He went on the Disabled List with 3-3, 2.84 stat line (13 saves).
OUCH!
The June 18, punch-out injury to Hunter Strickland (see above) does not rank very high among unusual relief pitcher mishaps. Let’s not forget these classics from the past: the Tigers’ Joel Zumaya, who strained his wrist playing Guitar Hero; the Brewers’ Steve Sparks, who dislocated his shoulder tearing a phone book in half; or the Rangers’ Greg Harris who strained his elbow flicking sunflower seeds.
A Scorecard Nightmare …. or …We Used to Do This In Little League
On June 13, Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon took a page right out of Little League – using four left fielders in one inning. It happened in the top of the eighth inning of a Brewers’ 1-0 win over the Cubs. The inning – a nightmare for those keeping scorecards – went like this:
- Cubs’ Albert Almora, Jr., who had pinch hit for Brewers’ 3B Tommy La Stella in the top of the eighth, stayed in the game in center field.
- Ian Happ, who had started in center for Chicago, moved to third base.
- Right-hander Steve Cishek was brought in to pitch, replacing southpaw Justin Wilson.
- Brewers’ shortstop Orlando Arcia singled off Cishek.
- Brewers’ Eric Thames was announced as the pinch-hitter for Milwaukee reliever Josh Hader, with Cishek on the mound.
- Maddon brought in lefty Brian Duensing to face Thames, sending Cishek from the mound to left field and left fielder Kyle Schwarber to the dugout.
- Duensing did his job, fanning Thames.
- Next up was left fielder Lorenzo Cain.
- Maddon brought Cishek back to the mound and sent Duensing to left field.
- Cishek got Cain on a ground out, second-to-first.
- Next up was right fielder Christian Yelich.
- Maddon then brought Duensing back to the mound and brought Willson Contreras (usually a catcher) from the bench to play left field.
- Yelich flied out to Contreras.
Made for a very messy scorecard.
The Tools of Persistence
On June 17, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was behind the plate for the Cardinals 5-0 victory over the Cubs in Saint Louis. Molina not only caught/called a scoreless game, he collected a double, RBI and run scored in four trips to the plate. It was his 1,756 game at backstop for the Cardinals – tying him with the Cubs’ Gabby Hartnett for the most games caught for one team in MLB history. On June 18, he was even better – breaking the tie with Hartnett – and going three-for-four with a double, home run, RBI and two runs scored. Now every time he puts on the “tools of persistence,” he sets a new record.
Back to the Future
On June 18, Washington Nationals’ rookie outfielder Juan Soto hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of a Nationals’ 5-3 wins over the Yankees. The long ball came as the Yankees and Nationals completed a May 15 game – five days before Soto made his MLB debut – that had been suspended due to weather in the sixth inning. Due to a scoring technicality, the stats from that game (including Soto’s home run) will be officially counted as occurring on May 15; while Soto’s MLB debut datse will remain as May 20. Further, while he will be credited with a May 15 home run, a long ball he hit May 21 will remain as his official first MLB home run.
Colon Add a Couple Exclamation Points
On June 18, the Rangers’ Bartolo Colon won his 244th MLB game – topping Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for the most victories by a Dominican-born pitcher. The 45-year-old Colon evened his 2018 record at 4-4 – giving up three runs over six frames as Texas topped Kansas City 6-3. Colon picked up his 245th career win on the last day of the month – moving into a tie with Nicaraguan-born Dennis Martinez for the most victories by a Latin American.
Even More “In Baseball We Track Pretty Much Everything”
On June 22, Elias Sports reports, Brewer’s 1B Jesus Aguilar became the first player in the Expansion Era – noted as since 1961 – to break up a no-hit bid of at least five innings with a home run and also hit a walk-off home run to win the game. Aguilar’s home run with one out in the seventh inning was the first hit off Cardinals’ starter Jack Flaherty and his ninth-inning long ball off Redbirds’ reliever Bud Norris gave the Brew Crew a 2-1 win. They were Aguilar’s 15th and 16th round trippers of the season.
Photo by apardavila
Give Me Five, Bro
On June 22, the Phillies’ Odubel Herrera hit his seventh home run of the season – a two-run shot in third inning of a 12-2 Phillies win over the Nationals. It was part of a four-for-five day for the Philadelphia center fielder – and also his fifth consecutive game with a dinger, tying a Phillies’ franchise record. Other Phillies to homer in five straight contests include: Dick Allen (1969); Mike Schmidt (1979); Bobby Abreu (2005); Chase Utley (2008 – two times); and Rhys Hoskins (2017). The following day, Hwerrera took an zero-for-four to halt the streak.
Does It Have to be About the Long Ball?
On June 24, as the A’s loss to the White Sox 10-3 in Chicago, Oakland got a solo home run from CF Mark Canha. With that long ball, the A’s set an MLB record – hitting at least one homer in 25 consecutive road games. (The Orioles had held the record at 24 since 1996). The A’s added to the record with a two-homer game (LF Chad Pinder & 3B Jed Lowrie) in a 9-7 win at Detroit on June 26. They were finally kept in the park on the road on June 27, in a 3-0 A’s win over the Tigers.
Lucky Number Seven
BBRT is pretty fond of numerical coincidences. You know, like when a batter comes up with his team trailing by two runs, with two on and two out and runs up 2-2 count. Well, on June 24, the Reds earned their seventh consecutive victory, behind a seven-hit, seven-run, seventh inning. The Reds came into the bottom of the seventh, trailing the Cubs by five runs (6-1). They scored seven times to take an 8-6 lead (the eventual final score).
13 … Not So Unlucky
Photo by Keith Allison
On June 25, 34-year-old right-hander Edwin Jackson started on the mound for the Oakland A’s in Detroit. Jackson pitched well, giving up just six hits and one run over six innings, while fanning seven – and he made a bit of history along the way. Jackson was playing for his thirteenth team – tying Octavio Dotel for the most franchises played for in an MLB career. Jackson’s collection of uniforms includes: The Dodgers, Rays, Tigers, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Cardinals, Nationals, Cubs, Braves, Marlins, Padres, Orioles and A’s. For the full story, click here.
_____________________________________________
—INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE—
BATTING AVERAGE (75 or more plate appearances)
AL: Jose Altuve, Astros (.354); Mike Trout, Angels (.352); Shin-Soo choo, Rangers (.347)
NL: Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs (.364); Alberto Amora, Jr., Cubs (363); Gerardo Parra, Rockies (.354)
The lowest June average among players with at least 75 plate appearances in the month belonged to the Royals’ Alicides Escobar at .115 (10-for-87). In the NL, that (dis)honor gelonged to D-backs’ Jarrod Dyson at .158.
HOME RUNS
AL: Nelson Cruz, Mariners (11); Alex Bregman, Astros (10); five with 8.
NL: Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs (10); Jesus Aguilar, Brewers (10); Max Muncy, Dodgers (10)
RUNS BATTED IN
AL: Evan Gattis, Astros (30); Alex Bregman, Astros (30); Nelson Cruz, Mariners (24)
NL: Jesus Aguilar, Brewers (24); Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs & Nolan Arenado, Rockies (23)
RUNS SCORED
AL: Eddie Rosario, Twins & Alex Bregman, Astros (24); three with 22
NL: Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs (25); Matt Carpenter, Cardinals (24); D.J. LeMahieu, Rockies (22)
HITS
AL: J.D. Martinez, Red Sox; Jose Altuve, Astros; Eddie Rosario, Twins; Matt Duffy, Rays – all with 34
NL: Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs (39); Trevor Story, Rockies (37); four with 34
STOLEN BASES
AL: Jose Ramirez, Indians (7); Jose Altuve, Astros, Delino DeShields, Rangers & Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox
NL: Starling Marte, Pirates (8); Billy Hamilton, Reds, Javier Baez, Cubs & Trea Turner, Nationals (6)
BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS
AL: Yoan Moncada, White Sox (45); Matt Davidson, White Sox (40); Aaron Judge, Yankees (38)
NL: Brandon Nimmo, Mets (39); Bryce Harper, Nationals (33); Ian Desmond, Rockies (32)
Show me what you got.
The Tigers’ Jeimer Candelario saw an MLB-best (among players with at least 75 plate appearances) 4.68 pitches per plate appearance in June.
WALKS DRAWN
AL: Mike Trout, Angels (24); Shin-Soo Choo, Rangers & Jose Ramirez, Indians (20)
NL: Joey Votto, Reds & Carlos Santana, Phillies (28); Max Muncy, Dodgers (25)
Among players with at least 75 June plate appearance, the Phillies’ Carlos Santana had the best walks-to-strikeouts ratio at 2.15-to-one (28 walks versus just 13 strikeouts). As a result, despite a .235 June average, his on-base percentage for the month was .417.
PITCHING VICTORIES
AL: Luis Severino, Yankees; Gerrit Cole, Astros; David Price, Red Sox; Lou Trivino, A’s – all at (4-1)
NL: Jon Lester, Cubs & Zach Eflin, Phillies (5-0); Zack Greinke, D-backs (5-1)
Jakob Junis of the Royals, Jason Hammel of the Royals and Mychal Givens of the Orioles shared the lead in June losses – going 0-5, with ERA, respectively, of 7.14, 6.43 and 6.46.
EARNED RUN AVERAGE (minimum 25 June innings)
AL: Tyler Skaggs, Angels (0.84); Luis Severino, Yankees (1.60); Blake Snell, Rays (1.74)
NL: Jon Lester, Cubs (1.13); Ivan Nova, Pirates (1.75); Zach Eflin, Phillies (1.76)
The highest ERA among pitchers with at least 25 May innings or four June starts belonged to the Rockies’ Chad Bettis – five June starts and an 8.54 ERA in 26 1/3 innings.
STRIKEOUTS
AL: Trevor Bauer, Indians (62 in 41 1/3 innings pitched); Chris Sale (60 in 41 IP); Justin Verlander (46 in 37 1/3 IP).
NL: Jacob deGrom (49 – 42 IP); Max Scherzer, Nationals (45 – 35 IP); Jon Gray, Rockies (43 – 27 IP);
Among pitchers with at least 20 inning pitched in May, the Dodgers’ Ross Stripling had the best strikeouts versus walks ratio at 30-to-one; the AL leader was the Indians’ Corey Kluber at nine-to-one.
SAVES
AL: Edwin Diaz, Mariners (12); Aroldis Chapman, Yankees (11); two with eight
NL: Kenley Jansen, Dodgers (9); Sean Doolittle, Nationals & Kyle Barraclough (7)
Dellin Betances of the Yankees and Alex Colome (Mariners/Rays) topped the Al in “holds” in June, with nine. In the NL, Tony Watson of the Giants had nine holds. Betances appeared in 12 games and fanned 22 batters in 12 innings – without giving up a run. Betances and Watson put up 0.00 ERA’s in 12 and 13 appearances, respectively.
_____________________________________________________________________
—–LEAGUE LEADERS – TEAMS – YEAR-TO-DATE (through June 30)—–
RUNS SCORED … MLB Team Average – 361
AL: Red Sox (438); Astros (431); Yankees (406)
NL: Cubs (409); Braves (407); Rockies (388)
The Royals scored the fewest runs through June at 288. The only other team to plate fewer than 300 runners was the Orioles (297). The lowest total in the NL went to the Marlins at 309.
BATTING AVERAGE … MLB Team Average – .246
AL: Red Sox (.267); Astros (.263); Mariners (.261)
NL: Cubs (.265); Braves (.262); ; Reds (.257)
The Orioles had the lowest team batting average through June (.226); while the Diamondbacks were at the bottom of the NL (.227).
HOME RUNS … MLB Team Average – 94
AL: Yankees (131); Red Sox (120); Indians (114)
NL: Dodgers (111); Brewers (105); Rockies (104)
Only three teams had fewer than 70 home runs through June: Marlins (66); Royals (66); Tigers (67)
STOLEN BASES … MLB Team Average – 40
AL: White Sox & Red Sox (64); Indians (58)
NL: Nationals (64); Brewers (63); Braves (47)
If you like speed on the base paths avoid Oakland …
The A’s swiped the fewest bases through June (16), and also had the worst success rate at 53.3 percent (tossed out fourteen times in 30 attempts). By contrast, the Red Sox were the most successful sack thieves, stealing 64 bags in 77 attempts (83.1 perent).
BATTERS’ STRIKEOUTS … MLB Team Average – 703
AL: Rangers (790); White Sox (780); Orioles (732)
NL: Padres (796); Phillies (777); D-backs (759)
EARNED RUN AVERAGE … MLB Average – 4.07
AL: Astros (2.83); Yankees (3.43); Red Sox (3.50)
NL: D-backs (3.43); Cubs (3.53); Brewers (3.54)
PITCHERS’ STRIKEOUTS … MLB Average – 703
AL: Astros (888); Yankees (818); Red Sox (810)
NL: Dodgers (782); Nationals (750); Phillies (744)
Through June, the Astros were averaging MLB-tops 10.43 strikeouts per nine innings. The only other team averaging at least 10 K’s per game was the Yankees (10.17).
SAVES … MLB Average – 22
AL: Mariners (33); Red Sox (27); A’s (25)
NL: Nationals & Rockies (26); Padres (25)
Complete Game A Rarity
Cleveland led all teams with four complete games through June. While no team in the NL had more than one. Sixteen of the thirty MLB tams have yet to record a complete game in 2018.
__________________________________________
––INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR YEAR TO DATE (through June) —
BATTING AVERAGE (qualifiers)
AL: Mookie Betts, Red Sox (.341); Jose Altuve (.338); Jean Segura, Mariners (.336)
NL: Scooter Gennett, Reds & Albert Amora, Jr. , Cubs (.332); Nick Markakis, Braves (.324)
The lowest average (through June) among qualifying players belonged to the Orioles’ Chris Davis at .155 (38-for-245). The Marlins’ Lewis Brinson had the lowest average in the NL at .186 (52-for-279).
HOME RUNS
AL: J.D. Martinez, Red Sox (25): Jose Ramirez, Indians & Mike Trout, Angels (24)
NL: Bryce Harper, Nationals & Nolan Arenado, Rockies (20); Jesus Aguilar, Brewers (19)
RUNS BATTED IN
AL: J.D. Martinez, Red Sox (67); Mitch Haniger, Mariners (62); Manny Machado, Orioles (57)
NL: Eugenio Suarez, Reds (60); Javier Baez, Cubs (59); Trevor Story, Rockies (58);
Among players with at least 25 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, the Pirates’ Josh Harrison has the highest average in those spots at .433 (13-for-30). In the AL, the Astros’ Yuli Gurriel leads thw way at .422 (27-for-64). At the other end of the spectrum was the Indians’ Greg Allen with no hits (one RBI) in 26 at bats with RISP.
RUNS SCORED
AL: Francisco Lindor, Indians & Mike Trout, Angels (66); Mookie Betts, Red Sox (64)
NL: Ozzie Albies, Braves (64); Charlie Blackmon, Rockies (60); Cesar Hernandez, Phillies (57)
HITS
AL: Jose Altuve, Astros (114); Jean Segura, Mariners (108); Nick Castellanos, Tigers (101)
NL: Nick Markakis, Braves (104); Scooter Gennett, Reds (101); Freddie Freeman, Braves (99)
The Angels’ Mike Trout had an MLB-best .461 on base percentage through June (among qualifiers); while the Reds’ Joey Votto topped the NL at .429. Just five players were at .400 or above. In addition to Trout and Vott0, they were: Mookie Betts, Red Sox (.431); Freddie Freeman, Braves (.408); and Jose Altuve, Astros (.407). Barry Bonds holds the single season on base percentage record at .609 (2004).
STOLEN BASES
AL: Dee Gordon, Mariners (21); Tim Anderson, White Sox (17); three with 16
NL: Michael Taylor, Nationals (23); Trea Turner, Nationals (22); Ender Inciarte, Braves (21);
BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS
AL: Joey Gallo, Rangers & Yoan Moncada, White Sox (116); Aaron Judge, Yankees (109)
NL: Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs (96); Trevor Story, Rockies & Lewis Brinson, Marlins (91);
Andrelton Simmons of the Angels has drawn an MLB leading 1.86 walks per strikeout through June (26 walks versus 14 K’s in 270 at bats) – second is the Phillies’ Carlos Santana, well behind at 1.34. Only nine qualifying players have drawn as many walks as they have recorded whiffs.
WALKS DRAWN
AL: Mike Trout, Angels (74); Aaron Judge, Yankees (56); Shin-Soo Choo, Rangers (53)
NL: Bryce Harper, Nationals (65); Joey Votto, Reds (63); ; Carlos Santana, Phillies (62)
PITCHING VICTORIES
AL: Luis Severino, Yankees (12-2); Corey Kluber, Indians (11-4); three with 10
NL: Jon Lester, Cubs & Aaron Nola, Phillies (10-2); Max Scherzer, Nationals (10-4)
EARNED RUN AVERAGE (qualifiers)
AL: Luis Severino, Yankees (2.10); Justin Verlander, Astros (2.12); Blake Snell, Rays (2.31)
NL: Jacob deGrom, Mets (1.84); Max Scherzer, Nationals (2.04); Mike Foltynewicz, Braves (2.14)
STRIKEOUTS
AL: Chris Sale, Red Sox (164 – 116 IP); Gerrit Cole, Astros (151 – 111 2/3 IP); Trevor Bauer, Indians (148 – 113 2/3 IP)
NL: Max Scherzer, Nationals (165– 114 2/3 IP); Patrick Corbin, D-backs (134 – 106 IP) & Jacob deGrom, Mets (134 – 107 IP)
Among pitchers with at least 80 inning pitched through June, the Nationals’ Max Scherzer had the highest rate of strikeouts per nine innings at 12.95. The only other hurlers above 12.00 were Chris Sale (12.72) of the Red Sox and Gerrit Cole of the Astros (12.17).
Using the 80-inning qualifier, the Indians’ Corey Kluber had the best strikeouts per walk ratio at 8.85 (just 13 walks versus 115 whiffs in 113 1/3 innings pitched). Kluber far outdistanced the next best ratio – Max Scherzer at 6.11. Among pitchers with ats least 80 2018 innings on the mound, the White Sox Luis Giolito had the worst BB/K ratio at 1.00 (51 walks and 51 whiffs in 84 2/3 innings).
SAVES
AL: Edwin Diaz, Mariners (31); Craig Kimbrel, Red Sox (24); Aroldis Chapman, Yankees (23)
NL: Wade Davis, Rockies & Brad Hand, Padres (23); Kenley Jansen, Dodgers & Sean Doolittle, Nationals (21)
Don’t Face These Guys at Contract Time
Only seven qualifying pitchers (one inning pitched for each team game), held batters to an under .200 batting average – and three of that group were in the Astroa’ rotation. Here they are: : Max Scherzer, Nationals (.172); Gerrit Cole, Astros (.173); Chris Sale, Red Sox (.179); Blake Snell, Rays (.182); Justin Verlander, Astros (.183); Mike Foltynewicz, Braves (.191); Charlie Morton, Astros (.195).
Primary Resources: ESPN.com; MLB.com; Baseball-Reference.com
I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT
Follow/Like the Baseball Roundtable Facebook page here.
Member: Society for American Baseball Research; The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
