This Month in the NL - June 1983

This Month in RLB

June 1983 - NL

Rookie of the Month

SP Jesse Duch – Saint Louis Cardinals

Duch had another outstanding month for the Redbirds, posting a 4-1 record to go with a 1.51 ERA. It’s the second time already this year that he has been the best rookie in the NL, and is easily an early favorite for the year end award. At the time of writing, Duch has collected 10 wins with a 1.59 ERA; tied for first and first overall in the NL respectively.

Pitcher of the Month

SP Roy Lockerman – Montreal Expos

Lockerman is one of the key reasons that the Expos have made a big jump in the standings through June. A 5-0 record, 1.94 ERA in 46.1 innings was enough for him to capture the best pitcher in the NL for June. He has been fantastic for the Expos all season, still carrying an undefeated record into July.

Hitter of the Month

LF Jeff Maske – Chicago Cubs

Maske may still be trying to find a home in the field, but his bat has more than made up for any shortcomings defensively. A .300/.410/.714 slash line, 8 Home Runs, 18 RBI’s and 16 runs scored through the month have helped the Cubs to stay in the Wild Card race, currently holding a spot in the playoffs.

Who’s Hot:

Montreal Expos

The Expos came into the month of June one game under .500, and have started July in first place in the NL East. Montreal put together an 18-9 record in June was easily the best in their division, helping to open up a three game lead over the New York Mets. The East will be one of the more fun races to watch as the season goes on, with four teams at .500 or better and within 5.5 games of the division lead.

Cincinnati Reds

Yep, here we are again. The Reds had a league best 20-7 record in June. A strong pitching staff carries their mediocre offense, statistically in the top four in almost every counting category. A strong NL Central looks to be easily led by the Reds again; despite both Wild Card spots coming from the division, Cincinnati still holds a seven game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

San Diego Padres

Can a .500 record for the month be considered as “hot’? It is when the Padres had a .360 winning percentage coming into June. Even with trading away their best starting pitcher in John Allen, the Padres look to be coming along well in their rebuilding process.

Who’s Not:

Saint Louis Cardinals

After an impressive 18 wins in May, the Cardinals slumped to a 10-16 record in June and fell to fourth in the Central Division. All hope is not lost for the defending World Series champions, they only stand at 3.5 games out of a playoff spot with a roster talented enough to go on a run in the second half of the season.

RP John Vick – Pittsburgh Pirates

Vick has struggled all season in a setup and stopper role for the Pirates; the wheels have finally fallen off in the last month. In 10 appearances, Vick allowed 12 earned runs over 10.2 innings pitched for a 10.12 ERA. The left-handed veteran carries a 7.76 ERA and a -0.32 war on the season.

3B Nate Van Landingham – Colorado Rockies

Van Landingham normally relies on his power at the plate, but saw an outage in June, only hitting two Home Runs for the month. A .108/.134/.183 slash line for the month brought his yearly line down to .180/.233/.350 for the season.

Milestones/Other Notes:

· Jason Davis (NYM) hit his 100th career Home Run on June 15th

· Brent Rogers (ATL) picked up his 100th career win on June 14th

· Matt Singer (MON) collected his 1,000 career hit on June 24th