MLB: LOOK BACK AT JUNE

June saw 2 managers get fired as Joe Madden and Joe Girardi were relieved of their duties. The Angels, Phillies and Brewers all started the month struggling to stack wins. On the other side of the spectrum, the Yankees, Dodgers and Astros continued to surge forward. The defending World Series Champion Atlanta Braves charged back and showed the league they have a lot left in the tank. They totaled a 21-6 record during June. Another club that really made moves in June was the Cleveland Guardians. Going into play on July 2nd, they are 1.5 games back of the Twins and 4 games ahead of Chicago. It’s been a great charge and should be exciting down the stretch. The White Sox and Mariners have been underachieving so far, so keep an eye on them and if thry make any significant changes.

July brings us to the All Star Break, which normally serves as the debarkation point for struggling clubs. With that said, the Nationals in 2019 and Braves in 2021 rallied from slow starts to capture a championship. The Trade Deadline historically is the end of July, but has been moved into August this year.

As a side note, I highly recommend catching a game at Coors Field. Not a bad seat in the stadium and greats bars / restaurants within a couple blocks of it.

TOP 10 POWER RANKINGS:

1.) New York Yankees

2.) Los Angeles Dodgers

3.) Houston Astros

4.) New York Mets

5.) San Diego Padres

6.) Atlanta Braves

7.) Milwaukee Brewers

8.) Minnesota Twins

9.) Toronto Blue Jays

10.) Boston Red Sox

BOTTOM 5 POWER RANKINGS:

26.) Washington Nationals

27.) Detroit Tigers

28.) Kansas City Royals

29.) Cincinnati Reds

30.) Oakland A’s

I do have to give credit to the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies for playing as well as they have been. In the NL Central, AL Central and AL West, their records would have them in the mix.

AL HITTER OF THE MONTH:

Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros)

33 Hits, 19 Runs, 4 Doubles, 9 HR’s, 28 RBI’s, 13 Walks, Batting Avg of .418 and an OPS of 1.345

NL HITTER OF THE MONTH:

Kyle Schwarber ( Philadelphia Phillies)

28 Hits, 27 Runs, 6 Doubles, 12 HR’s, 27 RBI’s, 19 Walks, Batting Avg of .272 and an OPS of 1.065.

AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH:

Shane McClanahan (Tampa Bay Rays)

33 IP, 3 Wins, 5 ER, 4 Walks, 42 Strikeouts, 1.36 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and K/9 of 11.45

NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH:

Sandy Alcantara (Miami Marlins)

47.2 IP , 3 Wins, 1 CG, 10 ER, 8 Walks, 34 Strikeouts, 1.89 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and K/9 of 6.42

• Honorable Mention: Max Fried (Atlanta Braves)
• 40.1 IP, 3 Wins, 9 ER, 5 Walks, 39 Strikeouts, 2.01 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and K/9 of 8.70

Outside of NFL Training Camps opening in late July, baseball and the Mid-Summer Classic from Dodger Stadium own the American sports landscape.