This Month in the NL - August 1983

This Month in RLB

August 1983 - NL

Rookie of the Month

SP Jesse Duch – Saint Louis Cardinals

Another month, another starting pitcher wins the best rookie for the month of August. Duch, now a three-time winner, is a clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year at the end of the 1983 campaign. For the month, he put up a 5-1 record and a 3.27 ERA. The young right-hander has been a key piece to keep the Redbirds in the middle of the Wild Card hunt, currently in a tie for the second spot in the NL.

Pitcher of the Month

SP Tim Wilson – San Francisco Giants

Wilson was outstanding for the month of August, collecting 5 wins, a 2.17 ERA, and limiting opponents to a .177 batting average. He also reminded teams of his elite strikeout ability, whiffing 47 hitters in 45.2 innings. Set back by injuries this year, if Wilson can keep up this level of dominance the Giants will be hard to beat come October. His best start of the month came on the 20th against Pittsburgh, giving up only two hits in a complete game shutout.

Hitter of the Month

CF Jeremy Wydra – Houston Astros

The Houston Astros had high hopes when acquiring Wydra in the offseason, giving up premier prospect John Masi to acquire the centerfielder. He paid dividends in August with a slash line of .408/.436/.612, hitting 3 home runs, driving in 21 and scoring 18. Not only effective on the field, Wydra also plays a role in keeping the clubhouse together in Houston. The ‘Stros have been surging, bringing themselves into Wild Card contention; they are largely thankful to Wydra for putting them in position to join the tight race.

Who’s Hot:

Houston Astros

As previously alluded to, the Astros had an impressive month of August. Their best month prior had been May, when they played to a 15-14 record. This young team took a huge jump forward in the dog days of summer, jumping to an 18-9 record and bringing themselves with two games of the second Wild Card spot in the NL; a considerable feat since they started out the month trailing by 10 games.

LF Bobby Reyna – Pittsburgh Pirates

Reyna fell just short of beating out Wydra for the best hitter in the NL. Reyna slugged 6 home runs, drove in 20, and scored 16 runs through the month. A .393/.420/.738 line helped to raise his average to .302 for his first full season in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are barely clinging onto a Wild Card spot, tied with the Cardinals for the last playoff spot while only trailing the Mets by a half game.

NL Wild Card Race

Not including the three division leaders, there are 8 teams in the NL that are within striking distance of a playoff spot. Daniel did a much better analysis, for an in-depth look at the Wild Card hunt check here.

Who’s Not:

NL West

There are only three teams not in contention for a playoff spot coming into the last full month of the season. All three teams reside in the West division. San Diego, Los Angeles and Colorado only won a combined 30 games for the month, deepening the divide between the lower and upper tier within the division.

SP Chris McCall – Colorado Rockies

McCall has struggled through two straight months now, giving him the infamous record of being the first player to stay on the “Who’s Not” list in consecutive months in this far from famous report. His 7.93 ERA over 5 starts was worst in the Senior Circuit. A groundball rate of under 45% did nothing to help him, four of those starts coming at home in Coors Field.

CF Nate Banister – Florida Marlins

After claiming the best batter in the NL in July, Banister slumped his way through August. Although his home run power stayed consistent with 4 home runs, his .202 batting average and .227 on-base percentage for the month left much to be desired. With the Marlins only 1.5 games outside of the playoffs, they need their star to find his stride for the remainder of the season.

Milestones/Other Notes:

· Chad Jenkins (PIT) recorded his 100th career save on 8/30.

o 94 players have reached this milestone in RLB history.

· Adrian Pugh (CIN) recorded his 2,000th career strikeout on 8/30.

o 38 players have reached this milestone in RLB history.