Alex Bregman, Shohei Ohtani among Ben Verlander’s MLB Team of the Month

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

Alex Bregman has proven over the past few years what type of Major League Baseball player he is: an All-Star. This year, however, hadn’t quite been up to his standards.

But in August, that changed, as things finally started to click for Bregman.

On the month, he led MLB third basemen in runs scored, OBP and walks. He was the only player in baseball to score more than 25 runs (27) and hit over .350 (.362). 

August is often the dog days of summer, but Bregman was the best of the best, and he leads the Team of the Month.  

Let’s take a look at the other players who were the best at their positions in August.

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C: Sean Murphy, Oakland Athletics 

Murphy was the only MLB catcher to record 30 or more hits and 10 or more extra-base hits in August. On the month, he hit .330 with five home runs and 17 RBIs.

1B: Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals 

This isn’t the first appearance for Goldschmidt on my team of the month. He is having a career year and is well on his way to winning his first MVP award. He tallied nine home runs (tied for the most in baseball) and 27 RBIs with a 1.115 OPS in August. 

2B: Jeff McNeil, New York Mets

McNeil hit .385 in August with 13 doubles and 11 RBIs. He had 42 hits and is one of only two NL players with 40 or more hits, alongside Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres.

3B: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

SS: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets

Lindor was one of just two shortstops with 30 or more hits in the month of August, and he was the only shortstop to couple that production with 10 or more walks. Lindor’s success this year is huge for the Mets and a welcome sight after his struggles last season in his first year in New York.

OF: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Betts tore it up in August to the tune of a .330 average with nine home runs, 18 RBIs and a 1.081 OPS. He was the only major-leaguer with 20 or more extra-base hits (21) and at least five stolen bases. He was also the only player to score 30 runs in the month.

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OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Judge hit nine home runs in the month of August, nearly a third of his team’s total for the month (28). The Yankees are struggling, but Judge is still on pace to break the team’s single-season record for home runs in a season (61), set by Roger Maris. To go with those nine home runs, Judge hit .289 with 22 RBIs in August.

Related: Follow our Aaron Judge home run tracker as he aims to set a new Yankees record

OF: Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays

As we approach playoff time, Arozarena heats up. In August, he hit .327 with six home runs, 23 RBIs and an OPS just north of 1.000. He led all MLB outfielders in RBIs and was second in total bases (59). 

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DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Ohtani is on fire at the plate. He hit .317 in August with eight home runs, 20 RBIs and an OPS of 1.040. And he did all of this while pitching every fifth or sixth day. Ohtani allowed 25 hits and 10 extra-base hits as a pitcher in August while putting up 32 hits and 15 XBH himself.

SP: Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks

Gallen’s ERA of 0.68 is the lowest among pitchers with a minimum of 15 innings pitched in August. He has been historically good and is currently in a stretch of 41.1 scoreless innings, the eighth-longest streak of all time — and he’s two outs away from holding the all-time Diamondbacks record.

CP: Edwin Díaz, New York Mets

Díaz has been fantastic all season and continued that dominance in August. He was the only closer with more than five saves (six) in the month while surrendering one run or fewer. Pair his dominance on the mound with the best entrance song in baseball, and what you end up with is the most exciting closer in the game.

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Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the “Flippin’ Bats” podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @BenVerlander.