July is a pivotal period for MLB. It’s the last month before August 1’s non-waiver trade deadline. It gives us the All-Star Game. And it’s when the various postseason races begin to heat up.
Before we rush into July’s balmy embrace, however, let’s take a final glance back at June with an installment of Bleacher Report’s Team of the Month.
The rules are essentially the same as Team of the Week: We’re tapping 10 players—one per position, including a designated hitter and a starting pitcher—who lit up box scores. The only difference is we’re examining the last 30 days instead of the last seven.
To qualify, a player needs to have made the majority of his starts at the position in question. And while this is mostly about individual output, we award bonus points for gaudy stats that translated to ticks in the win column.
This time around, we found room for a diminutive second baseman doing big things in Houston, a first baseman resuscitating his career in Southern California, a southpaw on the North Side and seven more standouts.
Limber up those commenting muscles, tap the dirt off your spikes and proceed when ready.