All-Star performances were aplenty in August. The dog days of summer featured some historic achievements and signs of more to come.
This monthly piece is back after a July hiatus because of the actual All-Star Game. The American League lineup is as imposing as ever this month. Since there were no standout performances from any catcher this month, the history lover in me wanted to put C Danny Jansen in the lineup. Jansen became the first player in history to play for both teams in the same game. However, I could not look past the fact that he hit .158 for the month. Maybe he’ll catch up to the star power on display here next month.
C Austin Wells
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2B Andrés Giménez
3B Matt Vierling
SS Bobby Witt Jr.
LF Yordan Alvarez
CF Aaron Judge
RF Jarren Duran
DH Masataka Yoshida
SP Bowden Francis
RP Josh Hader
Historic Outfielders
Judge reached 50 homers for the season this month, for the fourth time in his career. This means he joins Babe Ruth as the only non-PED players to have at least three seasons of 50 home runs. As Judge has compiled historic achievements in his career, a Yankee peer of mine said it must make me irate. The truth is, it does not because Judge has never even been to the World Series. Why be mad at someone less successful than you are, right? Anyways, Judge led the league in hitting this month. Think of any stat, he likely was the best at it this month. For instance, his slugging of .856 was better than all but a few dozen players’ OPS in the month. One thing he does not have is membership in the 40-30-20-10 club.
Boston Red Sox OF Jarren Duran is the only member in history in the 40-30-20-10 club. He’s amassed over 40 doubles, 30 stolen bases, 20 home runs, and 10 triples this season. The actual numbers sit at 44-32-21-13. As for August alone, Duran hit .308 with 19 runs and 15 RBIs. I took the liberty of placing Yordan Alvarez in left field instead of DH. The case for Masataka Yoshida at DH was better than any other outfielder so here we are. Alvarez hit .382/.481/.697 with eight home runs and 16 RBIs. Needless to say, it makes sense that these three were actual All-Stars this year too.
AL Central
If the season ended today, the AL Central would have three playoff teams. Along with thanking the Red Sox for not having a pitching staff, the Kansas City Royals can thank Bobby Witt Jr. for having a potential playoff spot. While fellow young shortstop Gunnar Henderson has fallen off, Witt has kept on keeping on. Witt whipped off a line of .310/.378/.673 with 10 homers, 25 runs, and 20 RBIs. The division leading Cleveland Guardians had numerous standout performances, but Andrés Giménez provided a spark from second base. Nothing eye-popping but nine stolen bases, 13 runs, and .262 average was enough for an off month from second base. In other words, all-star enough.
3B Matt Vierling takes the hot corner this month. 3B Alex Bregman had a strong case, but it’s important to spread the wealth. Also, cannot say I expected this out of Vierling when I wrote the Tigers season preview. The Detroit Tiger hit .302 on the month with seven doubles and 16 runs. His positional versatility is another asset he brings to the table, so shout out to the utility player.
AL East
Part of me still cannot believe I am even saying the name Masataka Yoshida and all-star in the same sentence. Either way, Yoshida has earned the top DH spot, going from a detrimental hitter earlier in the season to a dependable hitter later on. Sure, he’ll probably never play in the field again, but he hit .326 with 11 strikeouts this month and tried to carry an offense with 3B Rafael Devers going AWOL.
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returned to form this month and led the Toronto Blue Jays to a 16-12 record, which is great for a team still four games below .500. Guerrero was fourth in MLB in average (.375) along with being tied for first in hits with 39. Somehow Guerrero is third in MLB in average this season, yet his 27 home runs are both behind the one and two average hitters this year (Witt and Judge).
Lastly, I hate when a positional debate comes down to a New York Yankee or a Houston Astro. That was the situation at catcher, between Austin Wells or Yainer Diaz. Well, Wells gets the spot for hitting .325 with four homers and 15 RBIs. His two-homer game to end the month helped his case as much as his mustache hurt it. All-star performance but not yet–or ever–an all-star mustache in my book. Are any?
Pitchers
Josh Hader gets the top reliever spot. I’m ready to hear from the haders on this pick, but he helped the Astros go 18-10 on the month. Hader threw 13.1 innings to notch eight saves and three wins along with a 0.68 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
Hader’s performance was dwarfed by that of Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis this month. Francis went 4-1 in six games and five starts, throwing 34.1 innings. He maintained a 1.05 ERA on the month and produced 39 strikeouts. Only ten hits allowed on the month is wildly impressive as well. Unfortunately, hockey season is looming, so few people north of the border noticed his stellar month.
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