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KC Royals: July In Review, Monthly Awards

By Alec Tilson

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The KC Royals named outfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitcher Wade Davis as Royals Player and Royals Pitcher of the Month for July, according to the team’s website.

Here’s a look back on July, and how the Royals set themselves up to buy before the July 31st trade deadline (Stats via Baseball-Reference.com):

  • Record: 17-11
  • Series Wins: 6
  • Series Losses: 1
  • Division Lead on July 1: 4.5 games
  • Division Lead on July 31: 8 games
  • Team Batting Totals: .268/.320/.408
    • 44 doubles, 9 triples, 24 home runs
    • 22-for-28 stolen bases

As for the Player of the Month award winners, July was an MVP-type month for Lorenzo Cain.

He stayed red-hot for four weeks, hitting .367/.424/.667 in  90 July at-bats. He hit a team-high eight doubles, two triples, a team-high five homers and added four stolen bases. He also led the team in slugging (.667) and OPS (1.091).

Across Major League Baseball, only three players were worth two or more Wins Above Replacement in the month of July, according to FanGraphs.com. Cain (2.0 fWAR), Angels’ outfielder Mike Trout (2.3 fWAR) and Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto (2.1 fWAR). It’s not a perfect measure, but Cain was no doubt one of the best in the league last month.

Cain’s 4.9 fWAR on the season leads all Royals. Cain is seventh in the MLB and 5th in the A.L. in fWAR for the 2015 season.

Honorable mention: Eric Hosmer hit for a .385 average in July. Seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 15 RBI. He played in four more games than Cain.

That’s historically what strong horses do; don’t just lead, but extend your lead.

Pitching-wise, Wade Davis was the same old same.

He appeared in 12 games, striking out 12 and walking just one in 10.2 innings. Davis recorded four wins in the month of July, allowed seven hits and gave up one earned run, although no one remembers when or how.

Actually, it was against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 12th, but the Royals won that game 11-10. And Davis didn’t allow another hit in the month after giving up that run.

Davis is now 7-1 on the season with a 0.60 ERA and a 50/13 K/BB ratio. It was his second time winning the Royals Pitcher of the Month this season.

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Honorable mention: Edinson Volquez started six games in July, finishing 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA and three quality starts. He’s been a lunch pail guy all season. He leads the Royals by a mile with 132 innings pitched this season.

The KC Royals finished with a 17-11 record in the month, including series wins against the Rays, Blue Jays, White Sox, Pirates, Astros and Indians. After starting the month 1-3, the Royals won eight out of its next ten games, and they helped the A.L. secure home field advantage in the World Series when they had a few days off.

They started the month with a 44-30 record and stretched their lead over the Minnesota Twins in the A.L. Central from 4.5 games to 8 games, finishing the month at 61-41. That’s historically what strong horses do; don’t just lead, but extend your lead.

MLB.com has not revealed its Player of the Month.

Who’s your Royals Player and Royals Pitcher of the Month for July?

Next: Top Ten Catchers in Royals History

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