National League Awards Predictions
Player of the Month in the NL was actually a tough one going into the last week of July. If you’re using fWAR as your one and only statistic to choose the “best” player in July, you would get Francisco Lindor, but right on his tail are Brenton Doyle and Eugenio Suarez with better slash lines and other offensive stats. Between the three, I personally would pick Suarez as my 2024 July POTM with a slash line of .326/.394/.744 along with 10HR, 27RBI and 20 Runs scored over 24 Games and 99 Plate Appearances. Lindor and Doyle definitely still do have a chance here, however.
Pitcher of the Month for the National League looks like it could be Michael King of the Padres, another player from the West. He posted a 3-1 record in 4 Starts to go along with a stellar 1.82ERA and just under 25 Innings Pitched. New York Yankee fans will recognize his name as part of the Juan Soto blockbuster trade this past offseason. His FIP, BABIP, and other analytics-heavy stats show that it wasn’t luck for King in July, he was the real deal. On a more old school note, he had 29K to 6BB in July and didn’t give up a single home run while hitting only one batter.
Reliever of the Month in the National League should be Tanner Scott, the former Marlin who is now wearing Padres brown and yellow. He had 6 Saves in 9 Appearances, posting a 1.61ERA with 15K to 4BB over 9.2IP. Scott was one of the more sought after Closers at the Deadline, and the Padres paid a hefty price for his services over the next two months.
Rookie of the Month has brought us yet another Brewer. Jackson Chourio, 20 year old Outfielder for the Brew Crew hit another 3HR in July along with 7 Doubles to drive in 12RBI and he also nabbed 4 Stolen Bases. What made him stand out among his peers who followed him was his .317/.364/.512 slash line; while not quite elite, it’s definitely a good starting point for someone as young as he. Being a corner outfielder, the franchise will certainly look for him to keep up the high average, or boost his power.
American League Awards Predictions
Player of the Month in the AL is probably going to be Bobby Witt Jr. with his astounding average and speed, as well as defense. In 22 Games, Witt was able to launch 7HR (T-7th in AL), drive in 22RBI (4th best in the AL), and hit for a lofty .483 average which was tops in the league this past month by a far margin (Brent Rooker managed a .410 Average in July). His .505OBP was the best over July and .839SLG was tied for second best in the American League. The only thing you could’ve asked for was more than one Stolen Base, but his offense and defense in July was dominant to say the least.
Pitcher of the Month for July is no question Tarik Skubal of the Tigers, with an impressive 3-0 record in 5 Starts and 33 Innings Pitched. Over those 33 Innings he maintained his low 2.45ERA and high peripheral numbers like an astound 42 Strikeouts to 5 free passes. The only major ding on Skubal is that he is home run prone, giving up 3 in those 33 Innings of July. Otherwise, he still has his high groundball rate, low walk rate, and high strikeout rate through the season, while batters only manag
ed a .194AVG off of him in July. AL Relief Pitcher of the Month looks to be Kirby Yates of the Texas Rangers, going a perfect 8 Saves in 8 Save Opportunities while maintaining a lowly 1.80ERA in July. Batters barely hit .118 off of the pitcher over 10 Innings Pitched. In the month of July, Yates also struck out 15 Batters while Walking 4; he also only surrendered a single long ball. This would be his second time taking home the honors, his first time 2019 as a Padre.
Rookie of the Month for the AL will most likely go to Nolan Schanuel, First Baseman of the Angels. He was the first 2023 Draft Pick to reach the Majors when the team called him up in August of last year, but 2024 is officially his rookie year. With Mason Miller down and injured, the only other player who had a month similar to Nolan’s was Austin Wells of the Yankees. Nolan led the charge with 3HR, 12RBI, 18BB and 2SB. He had a slash line of .320/.464/.507 which is respectable for someone seen as a guy who will hit for average and not for power. He also had 5 Doubles on the month, but only 1 Sac Fly, and no Sac Hits, which he could definitely learn to exploit in the future.
