Perhaps it is a bit late for this article, seeing as how it’s already the second weekend of August, but it’s time to look back at the best of the best for July in DTBL. A lot has changed in the past ten days, so there’s a good chance of seeing a shakeup on this list at the end of the month. But, as all stats are through July 31, 2014, it will be good to acknowledge solid play before seasons were ruined by beanballs.
Also, for this month, the focus will be on where the players’ stats rank in the DTBL leaders at each applicable category, to check in on just how dominant these players have been.
Rookie of the Year:
Julio Teheran, Darkhorses: 1.042 WHIP, 2.69 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 141 K
Corey Kluber, Demigods: 1.067 WHIP, 2.57 ERA, 9 W, 0 SV, 142 K
Josh Donaldson, Moonshiners: .247 BA, 72 R, 23 HR, 76 RBI, 4 SB
Billy Hamilton, Naturals: .270 BA, 53 R, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 42 SB
Sonny Gray, Jackalope: 1.180 WHIP, 2.65 ERA, 12 W, 0 SV, 121 K
Teheran continues his rookie dominance, posting a 7th place WHIP, with ERA, win, and strikeout totals just missing out on the Top 10. Kluber marks the first appearance of a partial season player here, but he has been utterly dominant since arriving in the Demigods rotation. A 10th place WHIP, 9th place ERA, and one strikeout out of the Top 10 makes for quite the partial season performance. Josh Donaldson’s consistency sees him in a tie for 7th in home runs, a tie for 3rd in RBI, and a tie for 5th in runs scored, while Billy Hamilton’s otherworldly speed places him in a tie for 1st in that category to go with solid all around numbers for a speedster. Finally, Sonny Gray checks in in a 5 way tie for 4th in wins, while barely missing the leaderboard for ERA. Just missing from this list is Anthony Rendon, who was tied for the DTBL lead in runs scored with 75 at the end of July while also putting up solid numbers in all categories.
Cy Young:
Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks: .824 WHIP, 1.71 ERA, 13 W, 0 SV, 150 K
Felix Hernandez, Jackalope: .889 WHIP, 2.01 ERA, 11, W, 0 SV, 178 K
Johnny Cueto, Demigods: .916 WHIP, 2.05 ERA, 12 W, 0 SV, 166 K
David Price, Naturals: 1.049 WHIP, 3.11 ERA, 11 W, 0 SV, 189 K
Adam Wainwright, Cougars: .962 WHIP, 1.92 ERA, 13 W, 0 SV, 122 K
These pitchers continue to light up radar guns and keep opposing players swinging and missing at incredible rates. Kershaw ranks first most everywhere – WHIP, ERA, and wins, and is 8th in strikeouts, a number that is a casualty of his time on the DL this spring. King Felix rates 2nd in WHIP, 4th in ERA, a tie for 9th in wins, and is 2nd in strikeouts. More of the same follows for the rest of these guys: Cueto ranks 4th in WHIP, 5th in ERA, tie for 4th in wins, and 5th in strikeouts; Price has turned things around to the tune of 8th in WHIP, tie for 9th in wins, and first in strikeouts; Wainwright checks in at 5th in WHIP, 2nd in ERA, and tied for first in wins. Honorable mention goes to Chris Sale, who ranks 3rd in both ERA and WHIP, like Kershaw, is hurt by being injured for part of the season.
MVP:
Mike Trout, Mavericks: .300 BA, 74 R, 24 HR, 76 RBI, 10 SB
Jose Altuve, Demigods: .339 BA, 56 R, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 42 SB
Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope: .293 BA, 69 R, 25 HR, 73 RBI, 10 SB
Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope: .300 BA, 75 R, 19 HR, 69 RBI, 9 SB
Andrew McCutchen, Naturals: .305 BA, 60 R, 17 HR, 64 RBI, 17 SB
A thing to note about the MVP candidates this month is that they generally produce in all 5 categories. While the steal totals may not place all of them in the Top 10, they do provide that 5 tool fantasy output that all owners crave. Trout comes in at 3rd in runs scored, a tie for 3rd in RBI, and 6th in home runs. Altuve is tied for 1st in steals to go along with a 2nd place batting average. Stanton is tied for 10th in runs, 6th in RBI, and tied for 3rd in homers. Paul Goldschmidt, the first hit by pitch casualty of this list, was tied for first in runs scored and 10th in RBI, while Andrew McCutchen, the other hit by pitch casualty (or beaning casualty, if you prefer), while missing out on the top 10 in any category, has the best power/speed balance in DTBL. The hardest decision of the month, however, came down to McCutchen and Michael Brantley for the 5th spot, as his solid all around numbers (.316 BA, 71 R, 15 HR, 66 RBI, 12 SB) are definitely worthy of consideration.
Comments? Disagreements? Have at it in the comment section.