MLB Team of the Month: Jose Altuve, Wil Myers and Ian Desmond Star
July is a pivotal period for MLB. It's the last month before August 1's non-waiver trade deadline. It gives us the All-Star Game. And it's when the various postseason races begin to heat up.
Before we rush into July's balmy embrace, however, let's take a final glance back at June with an installment of Bleacher Report's Team of the Month.
The rules are essentially the same as Team of the Week: We're tapping 10 players—one per position, including a designated hitter and a starting pitcher—who lit up box scores. The only difference is we're examining the last 30 days instead of the last seven.
To qualify, a player needs to have made the majority of his starts at the position in question. And while this is mostly about individual output, we award bonus points for gaudy stats that translated to ticks in the win column.
This time around, we found room for a diminutive second baseman doing big things in Houston, a first baseman resuscitating his career in Southern California, a southpaw on the North Side and seven more standouts.
Limber up those commenting muscles, tap the dirt off your spikes and proceed when ready.
Catcher: Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals
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Wilson Ramos has been the best hitting catcher in baseball, and we're too deep into the season to call it a fluke.
The 28-year-old backstop solidified that status in June, pacing all qualified catchers in average (.364) and OPS (1.051) while clubbing six home runs and tallying 19 RBI.
He's still a work in progress defensively and ranks among the bottom half of big league pitch-framers, per StatCorner.
But he's improving there, too, according to Washington Nationals skipper Dusty Baker.
"Our pitchers like throwing to him," Baker said, per Ben Raby of the Washington Post. "And if he does something questionable, then [pitching coach] Mike [Maddux] will say something, or sometimes I might suggest something."
As long as he keeps raking with the stick and learning with the leather, Ramos will be indispensable for the Nats, who are a comfortable but far-from-insurmountable six games up in the National League East.
Honorable Mention: Salvador Perez (KC): .311 AVG, .859 OPS, 5 HR, 12 RBI
First Base: Wil Myers, San Diego Padres
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After two seasons marred by injury and inconsistency, Wil Myers is back.
Back, that is, to the production and promise that won him American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2013.
Myers continued his impressive comeback with a scalding June, posting a 1.194 OPS to go along with 11 homers and 33 RBI.
That output, coupled with the fact that the San Diego Padres are buried in last place in the NL West, could make Myers an enticing trade chip.
Then again, the 25-year-old won't become a free agent until 2020, so the Friars could hang on to him and hope his stock keeps rising.
Honorable Mention: Anthony Rizzo (CHC): .378 AVG, 1.212 OPS, 8 HR, 21 RBI
Second Base: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
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After a crash-and-burn start to the season, the Houston Astros rocketed back into the AL playoff picture with an 18-8 June.
Heap ample credit onto Jose Altuve, who posted a .420 average and 1.112 OPS for the month while continuing to look like a Junior Circuit MVP candidate.
In fact, as ESPN.com's David Schoenfield opined, "We could be witnessing one of the best seasons from a second baseman in the past 50 years."
Schoenfield went on to favorably compare Altuve's stats with luminaries like Joe Morgan and the Astros' own Hall of Famer, Craig Biggio.
If he can keep it up, the 5'6" 2014 batting champion will belong in that lofty company.
Honorable Mention: Brian Dozier (MIN): .369 AVG, 1.163 OPS, 8 HR, 21 RBI
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Third Base: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
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The competition was stiff at third base, where the Toronto Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson, the Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Jake Lamb each posted an OPS north of 1.000 in June.
We're giving the nod to Kris Bryant, the Chicago Cubs' burgeoning superstar, who led all hot-corner contenders with 11 homers and kept hopes high in the Windy City even as the Cubbies weathered a shaky month that saw them drop six of seven games between June 20 and June 26.
On Monday, Bryant made some history against the Cincinnati Reds, becoming the first player to go 5-for-5 with three home runs and two doubles. That's a month's worth of power for some guys, compressed into a single game.
Bryant sent his hat to Cooperstown, but that was it.
"Maybe when the bat breaks, I'll send that," he said, per ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers. "I'm keeping the jersey."
Honorable Mention: Josh Donaldson (TOR): .368 AVG, 1.193 OPS, 6 HR, 24 RBI
Shortstop: Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Speaking of young stars on the rise, Corey Seager gave Los Angeles Dodgers fans a reason to cheer in an otherwise dreary month.
The Dodgers entered July six games back of the archrival San Francisco Giants in the NL West. And they placed ace left-hander and Cy Young Award front-runner Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list with a back injury Thursday.
Seager can't make all those troubles evaporate, but he got the stat sheet boiling with 35 hits, including eight doubles and eight home runs.
With that sizzling June, Seager raised his average by more than 20 points and his OPS by nearly 100 points. Now, if only the rest of the Dodgers could follow the 22-year-old's ascent.
Honorable Mention: Danny Espinosa (WSH): .309 AVG, 1.122 OPS, 9 HR, 21 RBI
Left Field: Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
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The Pittsburgh Pirates finished June with a 9-19 record and sit in third place in the NL Central, 12.5 games behind the Cubs.
There's your dark cloud, Bucs nation.
Starling Marte provided a silver lining, leading all qualified left fielders with a .345 average while rapping out 29 hits, including three doubles, four triples and two home runs. Oh, and he swiped four bases to boot.
A Gold Glove winner last season, the 27-year-old Marte is fast becoming one of the premier outfielders in the NL. He's also maintaining a measure of humility, according to manager Clint Hurdle.
"When [Marte] does something special and significant, you don't see him beat his chest, you don't see him pointing to the number on the back of his jersey," Hurdle said, per MLB.com's Doug Miller. "So I'm good with all that."
Honorable Mention: Michael Saunders (TOR): .286 AVG, .943 OPS, 6 HR, 16 RBI
Center Field: Ian Desmond, Texas Rangers
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A few months ago, Ian Desmond was an enigma—a converted shortstop coming off a down year with the Nationals, trying to learn a new position with a new team in a new league.
So far, so great.
The newly minted center fielder, who signed with the Texas Rangers for an exceedingly affordable one year and $8 million, posted a .358 average with seven homers and 19 RBI in June.
He's not the only reason the Rangers are riding high atop the AL West with the best record in the American League, but he's done more than his share.
"He's always had the talent—he always put up good years, good months—but now he's really put it all together," said Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels, who squared off against Desmond in the NL East during Hamels' days with the Philadelphia Phillies, per Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. "I think, ultimately, when you're happy, that helps, too. You can tell that he’s happy being here, and he’s at a good place in his life."
Honorable Mention: Mike Trout (LAA): .333 AVG, 1.002 OPS, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 5 SB
Right Field: Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
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The Colorado Rockies don't have to trade Carlos Gonzalez ahead of the August 1 non-waiver deadline.
He's signed through 2017. There could be several high-profile right fielders on the block, including Jay Bruce of the Reds and Josh Reddick of the Oakland A's. And technically, the Rockies are still clinging to the fringes of the playoff chase, even after a 13-14 June.
Then again, as Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post recently opined, "If general manager Jeff Bridich doesn't believe the Rockies can make the playoffs this season—and I think in his heart of hearts he knows this team is at least a year away—then moving CarGo makes sense. The fact that outfield prospects David Dahl and Raimel Tapia look like potential stars makes a CarGo trade even more likely."
Gonzalez upped his value with a .364 average and 1.104 OPS for the month, bashing eight homers and driving in 29 runs.
Now, we wait and see if he's still wearing the purple and black the next time the calendar turns.
Honorable Mention: Carlos Beltran (NYY): .366 AVG, 1.081 OPS, 7 HR, 22 RBI
Designated Hitter: Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays
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If you're looking for evidence that contract years inspire big production, look no further than Edwin Encarnacion.
The Blue Jays slugger and impending free agent mashed in June, cracking 11 homers and picking up 30 RBI to go along with a 1.185 OPS.
Toronto, which went 15-12 in June, is locked in a dogfight in the balanced AL East. More video game numbers from Encarnacion can only help the defending division champion's cause.
"I feel good right now," Encarnacion said, per MLB.com's Alykhan Ravjiani. "I've seen the numbers that I've had in this month compared to other months. It's impressive, but I just feel good at the plate right now."
If understatements were RBI, he would've just knocked in another one.
Honorable Mention: Kendrys Morales (KC): .402 AVG, 1.108 OPS, 5 HR, 18 RBI
Pitcher: Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs
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Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta gets the ace mantle in the Cubs rotation, and for good reason.
In June, though, veteran lefty Jon Lester was the Man, capital "M."
Through six starts, Lester went 4-0 with a 1.41 ERA while walking seven and striking out 44 in 44.2 innings.
He kicked things off June 1 with a complete-game, 10-strikeout effort against the Dodgers. "That might have been the best I've seen Jonny since I've been here," manager Joe Maddon said after that game, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
Based on how Lester has thrown since—and, really, all year—that's a quote Maddon should prepare to dust off multiple times before the season is through.
Honorable Mention: Michael Fulmer (DET): 3-1, 0.61 ERA, 24 SO, 29.2 IP
All statistics current as of June 30 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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