Since July 1st, a few bats have started to heat up in the lineup. Maybe it’s part of the reason they’ve gone 8-9 this month, as opposed to the 8-19 they put in for June. Not everything is spectacular by the guys outside of the middle 3, but much of it has been serviceable, something the last 2 months or so was missing.
Nyjer Morgan has finally started getting on base a bit. It’s not enough for a leadoff guy, but it’s better. Since July 1 he’s managed to hit .288/.342/.303. This may not seem like much, a but considering his OBP is .320 for the season, it’s a step in the right direction. He’s also managed to steal 7 bases and only get caught twice, a number that is much more palatable.
Ian Desmond has also started to hit, perhaps recovering from his late spring/early summer swoon. Since July 1 he’s hitting .286/.340/.469. These numbers aren’t enough to bring his overall stats up from the depths of where they fell, but they are about where you think he might be able to hit over a full season if he became more consistent. Maybe he’ll even do this for more than a few weeks.
Adam Kennedy has finally started hitting at all, and as he’s gotten hot, he’s also been fielding better. Since July 1, he’s hit .313/.389/.375, with only 1 extra base hit but plenty of on basability.
Willie Harris, who has struggled so badly all year, has really shined this month. His .409/.552/.682 sets the pace for the month, and reminds everyone that when he’s going well, he’s a pretty decent player. At the very least he’s showing his ability to be a 4th or 5th outfielder.
Mike Morse hasn’t played a ton this month, but he has accumulated 24 PAs, so I might as well mention his .304/.333/.609, plenty impressive off the bench.
Meanwhile, Zimmerman and Dunn continue to hit, with OPS’s of 1.013 and 1.017 since July 1. Those two may be the most underappreciated hitters in the league this year. In the NL, Dunn ranks 3rd SLG and OPS, 1st in extra base hits, and tied for 2nd in HRs. Among NL third basemen, Zim is 1st in OBP, 2nd in SLG, 1st in OBP, and tied for 2nd in HR.
Willingham hasn’t hit with power this month, but he is still getting on base, hitting .264/.381/.377 since the beginning of July. He, by the way still ranks 4th among NL OFers in OPS, and 3rd in the league among all players for OBP.
On the other side of things, Pudge hasn’t hit all month, Bernadina is struggling a bit after a monster June (how’s that for timing) and Cristian is doing more of the same, nothing great, but not horrible.