August failed to provide an easy choice for player of the month. Often a hitter emerges who is extreme in both getting on base and hitting for power. Jon Jay posted the top OBP in August, thanks in part to seven hit by pitches, but provided little power and didn’t score that many runs.

Chris Carter was the top slugger, hitting twelve homers for a .613 slugging percentage, but the power came at a somewhat high cost, with his OBP coming in at .328. Josh Harrison is a better candidate in that regard, with a .374 OBP and a .602 slugging percentage, but his 19 extra base hits only drove in nine runs.

In other anomalies, Brock Holt scored 25 runs despite a .310 OBP. That tied him for the MLB lead with Brian Dozier, who got on base at a .414 clip for the Twins.

The best balance comes from Victor Martinez and Giancarlo Stanton, however. Martinez led the majors in RBI, pumping out 41 hits while walking 19 times for a .442 OBP. He hit .350 with a .547 slugging percentage. Stanton walked 25 times, but still managed to drive in 25 runs despite getting pitched around so much. He finished with a .431 OBP and a .567 slugging percentage. Victor struck out just seven times, which led to all the hits, and a high number of RBI and runs scored. Victor Martinez is the Baseball Musings Offensive Player of the Month for August, 2014.

On the pitching side, it’s a close race between four pitchers not usually at the top of the list. Matt Shoemaker, Chris Tillman, Alex Cobb, and Drew Smyly all turned in stellar ERAs. Of the four, Shoemaker owns the best three-true outcomes combination, with 8.3 K per 9, 1.3 BB per 9, and 0.44 HR per nine. Veteran Madison Bumgarner, however, threw more innings than any of the youngsters, pitched three complete games and two shutouts, and had better K and walk numbers than any of those four. The choice comes down to Shoemaker and Bumgarner.

I could go to wins as the tie breaks as Shoemaker went 6-1 compared to 4-1 for Bumgarner. For me, however, the tie breaker goes to Shoemaker for the way he stepped up after Garrett Richards went down. Note his line from 8/21, the day after the Richards injury. It was an inspirational game, and the Angels have vaulted into first place since then. Matt Shoemaker is the Baseball Musings Pitcher of the Month for August 2014.