This Month in the NL - July 1983

This Month in RLB

July 1983 - NL

Rookie of the Month

SP Jeremy Harper – Atlanta Braves

Starting pitchers have dominated this award in the NL so far this season. Harper is the third different pitcher to win RotM, joining two-time winner Jesse Duch and Darius Cloud. For the month, Harper posted a 5-0 record, 2.89 ERA, and 24 strikeouts over 37.1 innings pitched. He has seemed to find a home in the Atlanta rotation after starting out the year in the bullpen, going at least 8 innings in each start and allowing no more than three runs over his last three outings.

Pitcher of the Month

RP Dale Overton – Montreal Expos

A Montreal pitcher again takes home the PotM award. Last month it was starting pitcher Roy Lockerman, in July it is Dale Overton. The reliever was impressive enough to beat out starters, collecting 3 wins and 6 saves while putting up a 0.40 ERA. Overton is also allowing just barely over a baserunner per inning, giving up a total of 23 combined walks and hits over 22.1 innings pitched.

Hitter of the Month

CF Nate Banister – Florida Marlins

The former #3 overall pick for the Marlins lived up to the hype for the month of July, taking home the crown for best hitter in the NL. Slashing .354/.409/.535 for the month, Banister also hit 3 HR’s while driving in 23. Nate was impressive on the base paths as well, stealing 9 bases while only being caught 4 times. So far on the season, Banister is leading all batters for the Marlins with a 3.2 WAR, helping to lead the Fish to a surprising 55-48 record thus far.

Who’s Hot:

NL East

The East is proving to be the new powerhouse division in the National League, and arguably the best in all of baseball. All five teams currently have above a .500 record and currently own both Wild Card positions. For the month of July, the entire division combined to go 80-48 for a .625 winning percentage.

1B Adam McGahee – Pittsburgh Pirates

After a slow start to the season, McGahee finally started to show signs of life in July. A .405/.452/.581 slash line helped to raise his batting average to .312 for the season. The 1B also lead the NL with a 196 WRC+ and .455 wOBA for the month.

SP Bob Ford – Florida Marlins

Raise your hand if you guessed that Ford would be tied for the league lead in wins and third in ERA at this point of the season. 4 of his 13 wins came in the month of July to go along with a 1.29 ERA and a 1.41 WPA which led the NL. Opponents only managed a .187 batting average, and those that did get on base were mostly stranded; Ford left an impressive 98% of runners on base.

Who’s Not:

Cincinnati Reds

Usually a staple on the other end of this spectrum, the Reds finally came back to earth in July. They limped to a 9-16 record, only managing a series win against the Astros and the Dodgers. Even with a subpar few weeks, Cincinnati still holds a 6 game lead in the Central Division, as the Cardinals were the only team within the division to put up a record greater than .500 for the month.

SP Chris McCall – Colorado Rockies

McCall had a rocky month of July, putting up a 1-2 record, 6.68 ERA and a 16:22 K:BB ratio in five starts. The right hander hopes to turn around his performance in the last few months of the season, although it may be difficult with most of the Rockies’ remaining games coming at hitter friendly Coors Field.

IF Jesus Martinez – San Francisco Giants

Martinez has seen a drop-off in production in 1983, with the worst coming this past month. A .196/.250/.250 slash line is far below expectations for the infielder. Martinez managed two extra base hits over 92 at-bats and drove in only 5 runs. The Giants will easily win their division, but may need Jesus to show flashes of his previous brilliance if they hope to make another deep run in the playoffs in 1983.

Milestones/Other Notes:

· Adam McGahee collected his 1,000th career hit on July 15th

· Bill Underwood scored his 1,000th career run on July 23rd

· NL teams were involved in 19 trades leading up to the deadline, led by the Chicago Cubs that were involved in 6.