Time to give the Chippy’s for the second month of the season. It is no surprise that the starting pitcher winner is truly outstanding as compared to the everyday player and bullpen winners.
Starting Pitcher of the Month. Justin Verlander. If you go by the antiquated measurement of won-loss – JV’s 3-2 for May is not remarkable, but he was great in every other way. He led the staff with a 0.86 ERA / 0.696 WHIP / 41.2 IP / .153 BA against/ .201 OBP against / .453 OPS against. Verlander made his opponents look pretty much like a bunch of Jake Marisnick‘s flailing unsuccessfully for the month.
Runner-up. Gerrit Cole. Just like in April, Cole would have won this award on most teams and most months. Cole was a luckier 3-0 when compared to Verlander and compiled a 2.45 ERA/.879 WHIP and a 13.1 K/ 9 IP. The slash against him was .164 BA/.246 OBP/.555 OPS.
In April – It was also Verlander followed by Cole and Morton as co-runners-up.
Everyday Player of the Month. Evan Gattis. Gattis turned things around after a horrific April with 6 HRs and 16 RBIs paired up with a .281 BA/.342 OBP/.952 OPS. If you gave this to George Springer (18 R/ 5 HRs/ 15 RBIs) it would be a reasonable argument, but ….my runner-up is a part-time everyday…..
Runner-up. Max Stassi. He has been tremendous against LHP, but solid overall. In May he had 9 Rs/ 3 HRs/10 RBIs with a great slash of .340/.377/1.017.
In April – It was Carlos Correa with Springer as the runner-up.
Relief Pitcher of the Month. Collin McHugh. He had a great 1.20 ERA as he went 1-0 and appeared in 10 G and put up 15.1 IPs. The slash line against him was .208 BA/.276 OBP/.597 OPS and he was nails for the month.
Runner-up. Joe Smith. Even though he had superior numbers to McHugh, he just did not pitch in as many high leverage situations. In 8 IP and 9 appearances, he gave up only 2 hits and 1 walk for the month. He had a microscopic 1.13 ERA and .375 WHIP and insanely small slash against .087 BA/ .125 OBP/ .342 OPS.
In April – This award belonged to Chris Devenski with McHugh in the runner-up spot.
Biggest Surprise (Positive). Tony Kemp. He was a much better version this time around – as he put up many tough ABs after his call-up in May with a .293/.388/.802 slash. Note he is floating back to earth a bit in June.
Runner-up. Joe Smith. He has a track record as a solid reliever, but an awful April had fed into us conveniently forgetting that.
In April – It was Stassi backed up by McHugh.
Biggest Surprise (Negative). Carlos Correa. Some of his numbers are good, like his 17 RBIs. But the guy has way too much talent to have a .192 BA/ .292 OBP /.686 OPS slash for a month, especially when he has been touted as a possible league MVP.
Runner-up. Ken Giles. OK, for some folks this is not a surprise, but his numbers in May were just plain bad, except……for the 7 saves. In 10 gms he had a 7.80 ERA, a 1.875 WHIP with a .378 BA / .395 OBP / .908 OPS against. So, the plus side is he was 7 for 7 in save opportunities and the other three times it was God help you for using him without a save on the line.
In April – Jake Marisnick and Derek Fisher shared the “honor” backed up by Joe Smith.
Head scratcher stats. Tony Kemp. Quick as a hiccup Tony, who normally hits in the 9th spot, got on base 18 times in May after his call-up and only scored 3 runs, but knocked in 9. The 3 runs is a real head scratcher when you consider he knocked himself in with a HR, had a couple doubles and a couple stolen bases. He was a duck left on the pond most of the time.
Most Likely to Lose his Spot in High Leverage situations. Will Harris. Had a 0-1 record and a 6.00 ERA for the month. He really did not put that many people on – his WHIP was a solid 1.111. But 6 of his 10 runners for the month scored. That is a problem.
Most Likely to Gain Harris’ Spot in More High Leverage situations. Hector Rondon. He appeared in a club high 12 games and had a very good 1.80 ERA / 0.900 WHIP / 11.7 K per 9 IP. His slash against was excellent too – .211 BA/.231 OBP/ .573 OPS.
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ALL THINGS ASTROS 
91 responses to “ChipalattAwards for May”
So if Carlos ends up on the DL, does nephew get the nod this time? Alex is our next best guy at short, Hinch can then determine who plays what corner infield position and left field depending on match ups. Marwin might play more right and left than anything else for the time being.
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Very interesting takes on the Astro’s pitching, esp down on the farm, tks for info folks. Half their 2018 draft consisted of pitching prospects. What good will it do to draft all those pitchers when they can’t develope them? Has not some of the brain trust noticed this anomaly? If these data geeks continue to crunch numbers to draft, then turn them over coaches who cannot develope, then the only other option, which seems to be the norm, is to use them as trade commodities for torps.
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