Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Justin Turner has been voted the Budweiser Presents National League Player of the Month for August, and Boston Red Sox designated hitter/outfielder J.D. Martinez has been voted the Budweiser Presents American League Player of the Month for August. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Turner batted .402 (39-for-97) with 22 runs scored, 11 doubles, a triple, six home runs, 20 RBI and a stolen base across 25 games played to claim his first career NL Player of the Month Award, and second monthly award overall after earning NL Rookie of the Month honors in May 2011. Among qualified NL hitters in August, Justin finished first in doubles, batting average and on-base percentage (.491); tied for first in hits; second in slugging percentage (.722); tied for second in runs scored and extra-base hits (18); tied for third in triples; and tied for fifth in RBI. This is the Dodgers' first Player of the Month Award this season, and the first since Adrián González in April 2015.
Turner, who signed in December 2014 as a free agent with the Dodgers, recorded a season-best 14-game hitting streak from August 4th-20th, raising his batting average to .308, a season-best at the time. During his torrid stretch at the plate, the California native logged a slash line of .464/.531/.786 with 13 runs scored, 26 hits, seven doubles, three home runs and eight RBI. Nine games were of the multi-hit effort, including a 4-for-5 performance on August 19th. The impressive outing matched his career highs in hits and RBI. Turner became just the seventh player in franchise history to bat .400-or-better with at least 18 extra-base hits in a single calendar month, joining Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson (May 1949) and Zack Wheat (August 1925), as well as Del Bissonette (May 1930), Babe Herman (July 1930, July 1929) and John Frederick (May 1929). Additionally, the California State Fullerton University product registered at least two hits and one run scored in four consecutive games from August 24th-28th, becoming the second Dodgers player this season to accomplish the feat (also Joc Pederson; July 21st-25th).
Others receiving votes for NL Player of the Month included All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (.356, 7 2B, 8 HR, 19 RBI) and outfielder David Peralta (.361, 18 R, 10 HR, 21 RBI) of the Arizona Diamondbacks; outfielder/first baseman José Martínez (.389, 16 R, 9 XBH, 18 RBI) of the St. Louis Cardinals; All-Star outfielder Lorenzo Cain (.356, 19 R, 10 XBH, 5 SB) of the Milwaukee Brewers; outfielder Hunter Renfroe (.302, 6 2B, 9 HR, 27 RBI) of the San Diego Padres; and August's NL Rookie of the Month Award winner Ronald Acuña Jr. (.336, 25 R, 19 XBH, 21 RBI) of the Atlanta Braves.
Martinez posted a slash line of .373/.453/.686 with 24 runs scored, 38 hits, 11 doubles, seven home runs, 25 RBI, 14 walks and two stolen bases over 26 games to earn his second career Player of the Month Award, previously winning with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season (September 2017). Among qualified AL hitters, the right-handed-hitting slugger finished first in batting average; second in slugging percentage; tied for second in runs scored and extra-base hits (18); third in RBI and on-base percentage; tied for third in doubles; fourth in hits; and tied for sixth in walks. This is Boston's first Player of the Month Award this season, and the first since J.D.'s fellow All-Star teammate and AL MVP candidate Mookie Betts in July 2016.
Martinez, who signed with the Red Sox this past February, began his award-winning month with a nine-game hitting streak from July 31st-August 10th. During his hot stretch at the plate, the 31-year-old slashed .432/.512/.865 with nine runs scored, seven doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI to lead Boston to a 7-2 record. Included in his hitting streak was a six-game stretch in which he collected at least one RBI, the longest single-season streak by a Red Sox player since his teammate Mitch Moreland last season (May 18th-25th). The eight-year veteran registered a second nine-game hitting streak from August 20th-30th, capping it off with his 39th home run of the season on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox. His 39 round-trippers are the fourth-most for a player in his first season with the Red Sox, trailing only Dick Stuart (42, 1963), Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (41, 1936) and Manny Ramirez (41, 2001). Entering play today, the twotime All-Star paces the Majors in RBI (115) and ranks second in home runs (40) and batting average (.336). Martinez is vying to become just the second player in franchise history to lead all of Baseball in the Triple Crown categories (batting average, home runs and RBI). Hall of Famer Ted Williams accomplished the feat in 1942 after batting .356 with 36 homers and 137 RBI.
Others receiving votes for AL Player of the Month included Betts (.353, 25 R, 17 XBH, 6 SB); third baseman Matt Chapman (.319, 22 R, 12 2B, 9 HR) of the Oakland Athletics; second baseman Whit Merrifield (.358, 18 R, 39 H, 10 SB) of the Kansas City Royals; and August's AL Rookie of the Month Award winner Miguel Andújar (.320, 7 2B, 10 HR, 29 RBI) of the New York Yankees.
The Budweiser Presents National League Player of the Month, Justin Turner, and the Budweiser Presents American League Player of the Month, J.D. Martinez, will each receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, for their accomplishments.