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ChipalattAwards for June 2024

Due to a late-month surge, including a seven-game winning streak, the Astros had the best month in the majors in June at 17-8. After the early season swoon, this helped the team ease over the .500 mark at 42-41 and back within a reasonable gap behind the plummeting Seattle Mariners.

The Astros surge has to be considered almost miraculous, considering that Kyle Tucker missed almost the whole month and Justin Verlander had two poor starts before joining Tucker on the IL.

But, as usual, this post is about individual awards for the month.

Here is a quick stat chart of the Astros’ pitchers in the month of June.

Name Gm W L Svs IP ERA WHIP BAA OBPA OPSA IR/ IS
Framber Valdez 6 3 2 0 37.2 3.83 1.221 .234 .310 .653 N/A
Hunter Brown 5 4 0 0 31 1.16 0.936 .189 .250 .529 N/A
Ronel Blanco 5 3 2 0 31.1 2.59 0.957 .165 .244 .629 N/A
Justin Verlander 2 0 0 0 10 7.20 1.600 .342 .383 .993 N/A
Spencer Arrighetti 5 1 1 0 21.1 5.06 1.500 .241 .351 .808 N/A
Josh Hader 11 0 1 5 10.2 3.38 0.750 .175 .195 .545 1/0
Ryan Pressly 12 0 1 2 11.1 2.38 0.971 .200 .256 .531 2/0
Rafael Montero 9 1 1 0 6.2 9.45 2.850 .394 .487 1.124 1/1
Bryan Abreu 11 0 0 1 10.2 2.53 1.313 .162 .326 .569 2/0
Seth Martinez 9 1 0 0 8.1 5.40 1.440 .297 .333 .793 2/0
Tayler Scott 12 3 0 0 14.2 1.23 0.818 .143 .218 .463 3/1
Parker Mushinski 2 0 0 0 1.2 10.80 1.800 .286 .375 1.089 0/0
Shawn Dubin 6 1 0 0 12.1 3.00 1.500 .250 .340 .635 0/0
Nick Hernandez 3 0 0 0 9 9.00 1.500 .308 .333 1.103 2/0
Bryan King 4 0 0 0 4.1 2.08 0.692 .133 .235 .435 1/0
Luis Contreras 3 0 0 0 2.1 0.00 0.429 .125 .125 .375 2/0
Jake Bloss 1 0 0 0 3.2 4.91 1.909 .353 .389 .742 N/A

Note – IR (Inherited runners) / IS (Inherited runners who scored) stat for the relievers.

Starting Pitcher of the Month – Hunter Brown – The young man was the Astros pitcher of the month, much less starting pitcher of the month and it was not close. After a terrible start to the season, he seemed to be fulfilling the Justin Verlander 2.0 potential he has flashed previously.

Runner-up – Ronel Blanco  – Blanco was down a partial step from his brilliance before his stickum suspension but still was very good in his five badly needed starts for the month.

Last Month – Winner – Justin Verlander / Runner-up – Ronel Blanco/Hunter Brown

Relief Pitcher of the Month – Tayler Scott – Who is to say what a high-leverage inning is? Scott was brilliant this month, throwing the most innings out of the pen and tying for the most appearances. He was used all over the inning “map” this month and never let the team down.

Runner-up – Ryan Pressly – Go ahead and argue with me. He was so much better than he had been and put up better numbers than the second choice for runner-up, Josh Hader. Most importantly, with so much uncertainty in the rotation, they really needed him to solidify that 8th inning (and the 9th a couple of times), and he did a very good job.

Last Month – Winner – Josh Hader / Runner-Up Tayler Scott

Here is a quick stat chart of the Astros’ position players in the month of June.

Name ABs Runs Dbls HRs RBIs BA OBP OPS
Jose Abreu 32 4 1 2 3 .156 .182 .557
Jose Altuve 102 16 6 4 17 .333 .376 .886
Mauricio Dubon 88 14 7 1 9 .261 .283 .658
Jeremy Pena 89 6 5 0 13 .214 .280 .550
Alex Bregman 100 19 6 2 11 .310 .367 .817
Chas McCormick 45 9 2 3 10 .244 .271 .804
Kyle Tucker 7 3 0 1 1 .429 .556 1.413
Yordan Alvarez 86 20 8 7 19 .349 .430 1.139
Yainer Diaz 80 16 3 4 18 .363 .377 .952
Jake Meyers 84 11 6 2 10 .214 .275 .632
Jon Singleton 43 3 0 1 4 .279 .354 .703
Victor Caratini 31 1 0 1 3 .226 .257 .644
Joey Loperfido 22 4 2 0 4 .250 .318 .668
Trey Cabbage 35 7 4 1 4 .314 .351 .866
Cesar Salazar 14 3 2 0 4 .357 .333 .833
Cooper Hummel 8 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000

Positional Player of the Month – This can only be Yordan Alvarez in June as he led the team in runs, doubles, HRs, and RBIs, and if you discount the 7 ABs of Tucker, he had the highest OBP and OPS for June.

Runner-up – Yainer Diaz – Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve missed this by a small margin, but the Astros young catcher got on a real roll in June and became a run producer second only to Yordan. Great month.

Last Month – Winner – Kyle Tucker / Runner-up – Jake Meyers

Special Recognition – Bryan King and Luis Contreras on the pitching side and Joey Loperfido, Trey Cabbage, and Cesar Salazar on the position side all put up solid numbers that were sorely needed in fill-in roles in June.

Biggest Surprise – Hunter Brown – A month ago it looked like Brown was headed back to the minors and would not be on speed dial for the team to return. This month he has turned it all around and is leading the staff during a very challenging time.

Runner-up – Cesar Salazar – Normally, third-string catchers don’t come up from the minors and become an offensive spark, but he did it in a very small sample.

Last Month – Winner – Seth Martinez/Tayler Scott / Runner-up Spencer Arrighetti

Biggest Disappointment – Jose Abreu – I thought that perhaps he would have a second wind when he came back up, but no, he was so bad that the team handed him $30 million to go away.

Runner-up – Rafael Montero – He continues to be a poor signing by the “interim” GM’s that can no longer hide under the shade of the Hindenburg named Abreu.

Last Month – Winner – Framber Valdez / Runner-up – Jose Altuve

Some Comments on June

There are some interesting and puzzling things that happened to the Astros in June of 2024:

  • Jon Singleton had the most ineffective .279 BA/ .354 OBP / .703 OPS slash with only 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs in 43 ABs. In 45 ABs Chas McCormick had 9 runs scored and 10 RBIs with a .244/.271/.804 slash. Salazar had the same 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs in only 14 ABs.
  • Amazing that the Astros had such a good month when they had so many regulars/semi-regulars with on base % under .300 – including Dubon, Pena, McCormick, Meyers and Abreu.
  • And it is pretty rare to see a guy with a .363 BA with only a .377 OBP. Diaz was not walking this month, but he was sure hitting the horsehide.
  • It is sad to do this month end summary and be missing J.P. France, Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy (all gone for the season). Here’s hoping that the July roundup includes some innings from Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia.
  • Can a guy like Tayler Scott get a sniff of the All Star team? Probably not, as he is usually not in the high-leveraged spots, but he has sure been an All-Astro this season.

As usual, it is your turn to comment. Any awards you disagree with? Any new ones you want to award?

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39 responses to “ChipalattAwards for June 2024”

  1. Not going to argue with you re: Pressly and Hader. They both improved in June and did their jobs well. I just don’t trust them as much as I used to. More about Pressly than Hader, of course because of the small sample size with Hader.

    After his most recent exhibition of adolescense from Valdez, I would have him as a tie with Monterrible for the Biggest Disappointment runnerup.

    “Amazing that the Astros had such a good month when they had so many regulars/semi-regulars with on base % under .300….”

    I think the weakness of the competition in June goes a long way toward explaining that.

    “Can a guy like Tayler Scott get a sniff of the All Star team?”

    Absolutely! Next year. As long as some idiot in the organization doesn’t sacrifice his arm to rescue their career.

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  2. Wait, Chas (45 AB’s) had a .804 OPS and Jake (94 AB’s) a .632 OPS? Joe is a fickle guy. It sure did not take much for Chas to lose his job. This reminds me of the things I said last year when Dusty was running then operation. I’ll say this again. Play Chas or trade him. He deserves as much.

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  3. Hey hey hey! I got an SCHN stream that actually held all the way through the pregame segment! Could it be….?

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  5. Once again, the Toronto pitcher has to throw ONLY 7, yes SEVEN pitches in the first inning.

    I. Just. CANNOT. Stand. It.

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  8. You guys made me aware of the fact there is a plan for each gm against opposing P. At what point does the hitting coaches change tactics to switch from swinging early and often to something different? Berrios averaging what, 10 P per inning? Unless the Stros start jacking homers this might be a short night pending a rally. They still have time but I’m with you Sarge, watching 3 up 3 down every inning is both boring and aggravating.

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  10. Just realized that Cooper Hummel is almost 30 years old. And he still doesn’t have any MLB hits…… :-/

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  11. When you only have 4 starters, I can almost understand Joe trying to get as many pitches out of Arrighetti as possible. But if that’s a bigger focus than keeping the game within reach, he’s missing the point.

    Dana Brown needs to do something. That’s his job.

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    • We chose the same word! GMTA

      Espada has the same attitude as a certain wood chewer we know. “I need ___ to go at least X innings in this game, so by God, come hell or high water, ____ is gonna pitch X innings! Winning or losing doesn’t matter.

      Don’t expect any change from Mini Me Espada. He is without flaws, you know.

      Not the epitome of hubris, but pretty bad.

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  13. Hey, that Slaw smells a little funky, Dan. Don’t know if I’d eat that. The tater salad looks a little suspicious, too.

    That was hill was just a little too high for them. They gave a valiant effort, though. Maybe next time, boys. If you learn to lay off that high heater….

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  14. Jomboy posted his video breakdown of the Altuve ejection in NYC with the lip reading and everything. Even that yankee was on Jose’s side on that one!

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  15. The Orioles did us a favor and beat Seattle so at least we didn’t lose any ground. Tomorrow is another opportunity!

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  16. Need a warm body in the rotation? Johnny Cueto. He might have some innings left in him, has a certain level of craftiness and we need both now. Dana Brown has got to take a bit of the burden off of the guys he’s got now. He can’t wait until we find out about Bloss, Verlander and Garcia. So whether it be Cueto or someone else, it’s time to get something done.

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  17. I won’t put a link out there because it requires a subscription, but on the Athletic – they discuss how both Ryan Pressly and Alex Bregman have helped Hunter Brown morph from a struggling youngster to a top of the rotation stud. Apparently, Pressly was helping him more with the mental side of things – sat with him after his awful start early in the season, when he gave up 11 hits and 9 run in 2/3 of an inning.

    Bregman apparently has been giving him a hitter’s perspective – wanting to use his two seam more and working inside to right handers with his sinker to keep the hitters off balance.

    I’m repeating what I heard on the radio – I have not read the article, so I might have missed something.

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    • Yes Dan, it was a good article, but I don’t think the coaching staff has been given enough credit. The Astros have brought Scott along from nothing. Blanco has turned into a different pitcher. Seth Martinez has mostly excelled. Arrighetti, rushed prematurely from the minors remains a work in progress, but has had some ML moments.

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    • 1oldpro, I wish I could share what I read, but they are pretty good at blocking my efforts. Maybe I just don’t know how to do it!

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    • I used to use the NY Times to line a bird cage. Until PETA sued me on the grounds of animal cruelty. Now it’s 100% useless.

      If one wants to know what they’re saying, they can cut out the middle man and call the see eye aye directly.

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  21. Blanco gave a solid 5.2 innings, but was really grinding all night. Getting ML guys out every five days is a tough job. Ask Arrighetti. Dana Brown has to get off his butt and find some pitching. This 4 man rotation might survive until the AS break, but the dog days are just around the corner.

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  25. I honestly don’t know how we’re doing it. Can we count on Tucker back after the break? We have 4 starters, including rookie Arrighetti, a guy whose next start I’m not looking forward to. Bregman is back down to a .700 OPS and an unprecedented .307 OBP. Jake has not hit since May. I know we’re scoring runs. Alvarez and Diaz are knocking them in. But who else is really hot? Anyone? I suppose we’re due for the good Framber today, which we sure need, because tomorrow is another bullpen game, a concept the Astros have historically abhorred.

    Happy Independence Day guys!

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  26. Why wouldn’t the Astros have worked a deal with the Rays for Aaron Civale? He went to the Brewers for a pretty good A+ prospect, but not the kind of loss we could not have absorbed in our system. Civale is going to provide 5 plus innings immediately, although he’s had a bad year, he’s an upgrade over Arrighetti, has a lot of upside and is controllable in 2025. He would have cost 2.4 million for the balance of the year. There are deals out there.

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  27. Another strange win. They are all good to have. Today the Jays tried to semi intentionally walk Alvarez to load the bases, but home plate ump Ben May would not cooperate. He called balls 4 and 5 strikes, both thrown way up out of the zone,

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  28. A detestable thing to watch umpires impact games and players with their selective strike zone calling, especially when it’s one sided

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    • As a traditionalist by nature and especially when it comes to baseball, it pains me to say this. The so-called Robo-Ump is an idea whose time has definitely come.

      The Dale Gribbell part of me wonders if the umpires aren’t simply forcing the issue with all these bad calls. After all, they’ll still have jobs. But with presumably less actual responsibility.

      But generally, it’s good to remove the stupid and/or corrupt factor from the equation whenever possible in my experience.

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  29. https://www.mlb.com/news/framber-valdez-back-on-track-in-astros-win-over-blue-jays

    “It had been a while since he last caught me, but we worked well together,” Valdez said in Spanish. “He did a good job and we communicated well. I have good rapport with all our catchers and I trust it’ll stay that way, the communication that we have.”

    Methinks the lad doth protest too much. Somebody can translate that for Valdez later. But I thik there’s been some fence mending going on recently. Perhaps at gunpoint. Figuratively, of course.

    So Yainer is now our Framber whisperer, I guess. OK, that’s cool. It worked today anyway. But I still think we need to look sideways at next year with this nutcase. For now, we need him. So keep working your magic or feeding him the magic oats or whatever you did today, Yainer!

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  30. Thoughts on yesterday’s game

    • I agree that the interview with Framber made it feel like there had been some kind of split between him and Diaz, though I think that Framber has shown he can be very good or Meltdown Mel no matter who is out there
    • I’m getting a bit angry that the opposition is again thinking they can turn our players into pincushions for pitches, especially Yordan. Our problem is that a) we are playing tight games and don’t need to be giving up free base runners and b) are running on empty with bodies in the bullpen with these bullpen games like we supposedly will see today.
    • It felt good to jump on them early with those 3 runs in the first. Very big hit out of Jon Singleton there.
    • It felt bad to see Framber hand the 3 runs back in the first. Very deflating.
    • Framber surprised me by going 6 innings and frankly the same for the Toronto starter, but they both settled down after bad first innings.
    • Really liked that laser beam homer by Pena – It was a big deal to get a two run lead.
    • On to Minnesota and another Shawn Dubin cross our fingers start.

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