As we head into September, let’s look at who’s in line for individual honors this month.
In the National League, Albert Pujols appears to be a lock for Player of the Month. He doesn’t quite get the Triple Crown for the month, but his .390 average, 11 HRs, and 23 RBI are all close to the best in the league for August. Other contenders would be Ryan Braun of Milwaukee, who has been best in the majors with a .421 average, Casey McGehee, who is tops with 28 RBI, and Rockies hitter Carlos Gonzalez, who is 8-23-5 with a .333 average.
Albert Pujols appears to be a lock for NL Player of the Month.
In the AL, I’d have to go with Paul Konerko of the White Sox. All season, I’ve been awaiting his downturn, and it really hasn’t happened. This month he has hit an AL-best .387 with 7 HRs, 23 RBIs, and even 19 bases on balls for a .482 on base percentage. Other contenders include Jose Bautista (11-20-2 with a .287 average), Josh Hamilton (8-20-1 with a .350 BA),and Joe Mauer (.382 with a .482 OBP).
For NL pitcher honors, my pick is Cubs starter Ryan Dempster. In five starts, he is 4-0 with a league-best 1.31 ERA. That said, Roy Oswalt is looking good since getting traded from the Astros to the Phillies. He was 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA this month. It also was a great month for both Tim Hudson and Dan Hudson (no relation). Tim, the Braves veteran, was 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA. Dan, the D-backs rookie, was 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA. Arizona has to be happy with him after picking him up from the White Sox last month.
Speaking of which, the ChiSox have no complaints about that deal either. Edwin Jackson, picked up in that trade, has had a great month. Today he had 11 Ks and a win, making him 3-0 with 45 Ks this month. His three earned runs tonight will boost his ERA above 1.00 for the month, but he still has a good shot for AL Pitcher of the Month.
Then again, Clay Buchholz may have something to say about that. He was 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA and could nose out Jackson. Felix Hernandez and Matt Garza also pitched great this month but didn’t fare as well with wins and losses, while Rangers starter C.J. Wilson was 4-0 but with a more mortal 2.11 ERA.
