Detroit Tigers' outfielder Dave Henderson was named Rookie of the Month in the American League for August. With an outstanding month, he took the lead in the ROY race, his main opponent being Alvin Davis of the Twins.
In August, Henderson, who also was the Rookie of the Month in May, hit for ,304 in 102 At bats, with 8 homeruns and 23 RBIs. He had a ,432 on-base percentage and a ,588 slugging percentage.
For the season, he's hitting ,268 with 35 homeruns and 115 RBIs. He's only two homers shy of Mike Schimdt's CDL rookie record of 38, set in 1974. He's 3 RBIs shy of Rick Renick's CDL record of 118 set in 1969.
Two Red Sox' hitters also did well in August : Jim Eisenreich (,361-1-12) and Ryne Sandberg (,324-2-18).
In the National League, co-winners were named : Eric Davis of the Braves and Dwight Gooden of the Cards.
Davis, who also won in May, hit ,295/,427/,600 in 95 At Bats, with 8 homeruns and 15 RBIs. He's hitting ,220 with 30 HR and 80 RBIs for the season. His 30 dingers are already a NL rookie record.
Gooden, only 19, was 4-1 in August with a 1,55 ERA in 46,1 innings. He allowed 26 hits and 11 walks, and struck out 53 batters.
The 4th player picked in the last Amateur Draft has a deceiving 6-12 record despite a 3,09 ERA. He has 175 strikeouts in 169 innings and a league-worst run support of 2,3 runs per game.
Pirates' Bret Saberhagen (5-2 2,79) was also considered.
Thursday 9/1/1984 :
American League-Pitcher of the Month :
Steve Rogers (BAL) !!
He had a record of 4-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 1.07 and 2 shutouts.
American League-Batter of the Month :
Andre Dawson (KC) !!
He batted .347 in 95 AB, with 9 homers and 26 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month :
Jim Wright (HOU) !!
He had a record of 6-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 0.79.
National League-Batter of the Month :
Pedro Guerrero (SF) !!
He batted .422 in 109 AB, with 6 homers and 28 RBI.
The ATR is a busy man and sometimes doesn’t get to trades until later on. But never fear, I shall not let any trade go unanalyzed. No one shall avoid my probing analysis and snappy wit. Anyway, we know why you are here, so let’s get analyzing.
Minnesota receives SP Frank Pastore
Cincinnati receives 2B Curtis Wilkerson, 2B Wallace Johnson, 1B Greg Brock, SP Ed Figueroa, San Francisco’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1985 and Paul’s kitchen sink.
This trade allows to discuss my favorite trading principle. Diminishing returns. A lot of times you see one great player traded for a big pile of mediocre players. While Pastore isn’t great, he is very good. And the players he was traded for are thoroughly mediocre. A bunch of mediocre players don’t push you closer to the title, but having a couple of openings in the lineup or rotation to put good players does. So, if any of the players Cincinnati gets (other than the draft pick) ends up getting regular time, then the Pastore deal hurts more than the talent lost. Talent is distributed on a pyramid, so getting a bunch of guys at the bottom for one guy at the top isn’t a great deal for the team getting the bulk talent back.
Winner: Minnesota
Milwaukee receives 2B Bill Doran
Los Angeles receives Milwaukee’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1985.
Doran is a solid 2B. He has good defense and speed, hits for a decent batting average and could draw some more walks as he gets older. He is only 26, so he should have some of his best ears ahead of him. The problem is that he isn’t much better than Frank White. Of course, White is older are more likely to decline. But is this the biggest hole that the Brewers needed to fill? The answer is probably yes. The Dodgers felt that Sipin was their 2B and cashing in Doran for a first rounder is probably in their best interest.
Winner: Milwaukee
Oakland receives MR Len Barker
San Diego receives Oakland’s fourth round Amateur draft choice in 1985.
Can we say salary dump boys and girls? Of course we can. If the Athletics bullpen implodes or is caught in a horrific blimp accident, Barker might be an appropriate candidate for the bullpen. Until then, he is a waste of $2,300,000 this year and even more amazingly, $1,000,000 until 1987. The Padres get a draft pick and get rid of Barker, winning this deal on both fronts. Oakland does get to keep it’s streak intact. Of course, the streak is the ATR saying the other team got the better end of the deal.
Winner: San Diego
Pittsburgh receives SP Bill Gullickson
Cincinnati receives LF Brian Dayett and Boston’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1985.
Gullickson is a nomad. He keeps getting passed around, despite being an above average pitching prospect. Cincinnati did good in flipping a late second rounder for a late first rounder with Gullickson. As for Pittsburgh, this deal is a bit curious. Their talent is a bit short to try and compete this year and their strength is young pitching. I think the Pirates would have been better served by finding a young bat instead of another young arm.
Winner: Cincinnati
Houston receives C Terry Kennedy
San Francisco receives C John Stearns
From the same people that brought you Terry Kennedy and Steve Howe for John Stearns and Frank Tanana. I don’t know why these two teams swapped these catchers in the first place if they were just going to swap them back a season later. Of course, Kennedy didn’t get warm in Houston, but that’s for next time. After spending four seasons looking for his batting stroke, it appears that Terry Kennedy has found it this season. He should be a good catcher for the next five seasons. Stearns, on the other hand, has the tools to succeed, but rarely does he use them to accomplish that goal. He is a bit old to be considered a promising player and perhaps when his contract ends next season, he will go to the free agent graveyard to retire.
Winner: Houston