BDSL Players of the Month Awards

September 1983

In the final month of play, Dale Murphy of the Wellington Knight's gets our nod as Player of the Month, as he led the defending Champions into the final Wild Card position. Dale showed off a combination of power and speed, slamming 10 HR's, and going 11 for 11 in the stolen base category. Sleepytown's Cal Ripken led all shortstops with 54 putouts, and 109 assists in his 33 games played. A big run producer at the plate, Ripken drove in 28 for the 103 game winning Dukes. Being used almost excusively against RHP allowed Eddie Murray to shine with a 1.156 OPS, as he swept the big 3 categories, though doing so in many fewer at bats than Ripken and Murray. The Furies LF Jose Cruz was busy afield, with 75 putouts (and 2 assists), and productive at the dish with 47 Hits. He was second only to Murphy in Runs Created. The Mavericks Ken Singleton was solid across the board in his 26 starts at 1B for Milton. Bold numbers: Category leader.

A perfect 8-0 in 7 of 9 Quality Starts earned LaGrange's Larry McWilliams our Pitcher of the Month Honour for September. Larry's 3 CG and 3 SHO's helped pace the Gunmen to the best record in the BRL, and only 1 win shy of the Dukes total. The Knight's lefty, Joe Price, had what his teamates called a "Murphyian" month, providing 7 Quality Starts in 8 attempts. He held opponents to an OPS of .449, and a WHIP of 0.78 this month. Milt Wilcox of Sleepytown chipped in with 4 Wins in 5 Quality Starts for the best team in the BDSL. His 0.22 ERA is not a typo. Lefty Al Holland from Oregon saved 10 games in as many chances, and added a win for good measure out of the Pioneer's pen. 3 times going the distance (Kinsella would be proud), Lamarr Hoyt of New York won 5 games in 6 Quality Starts. Bold numbers: Category leader.

Most Outstanding Hitter:

Dale Murphy WLK (OPS .922, 10 HR, 11/11 SB, 28 Runs, 24 RBI, RC 28.4, 137 at bats)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Cal Ripken SLD (28 RBI, 26 Runs, 46 Hits, 8 HR, RC 25.6, OPS .919, 141 at bats)

3. Eddie Murray SSJ (OPS 1.156, BA .402, OBP .485, SLG .671, 33 Hits, 82 at bats)

4. Jose Cruz FLF (OPS .964, RC 28.2, Total Bases 67, 47 Hits, 123 at bats)

5. Ken Singleton MTM (OPS 1.027, OBP .453, SLG .574, 21 RBI, RC 25.5, 94 at bats)

Most Outstanding Pitcher:

Larry McWilliams LLG (8-0, 7/9 QS, 1.46 ERA, 3 CG, 3 SHO, 59 K's, .532 OPS, RC ERA 1.94, 68.0 ip )

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Joe Price WLK (3-1, 7/8 QS, 1.41 ERA, 2 CG, 2 SHO, .449 OPS, RC ERA 1.41, 0.78 WHIP, 57.2 ip)

3. Milt Wilcox SLD (4-0, 5/5 QS, 0.22 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, RC ERA 1.46, 41.2 ip)

4. Al Holland ORP (1-0, 10/10 saves, 1.46 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 12.1 ip)

5. Lamarr Hoyt NYC (5-0, 5/6 QS, 2.17 ERA, 3 CG, 1 SHO, 0.83 WHIP, 49.2 ip)

August 1983

Leading in both Run's Scored and Run's Batted In categories, showed why Jim Rice is so valuable, and, why he's our August Player of the Month. The New York Leftfielder paced the Commuters to their Martin Division lead; his 9 Home Run's also led the loop. The Maverick's Bill Doran led with 41 Hits, and the slick Second Baseman was the leader in both BA .436, and OBP .500, in 24 games. The Hornet's young Rightfielder Darryl Strawberry showed that he's a player to watch; a league best 1.194 OPS will do that. Good hitting Catcher's are always appreciated, and the Royal's Jody Davis had 16 Extra Base Hits, slugging .756 for the month. The Ray's steady First Baseman Dan Driessen had solid numbers across the board as well. Bold numbers: Category leader.

Keeping the Athletics of Philadelphia in the Wild Card hunt, Reliever Sammy Stewart tops our Pitcher of the Month Honour's. Appearing in 18 games, and only allowing 1 Earned Run, Stewart was used often, and effectively - picking up 5 Saves, 4 Holds, and 2 Wins. Topping all Starters with 5 Wins, New York's Rick Rhoden nearly made it a Commuters sweep in August. 5 Quality Start's in 7 Attempts, and 2 Complete Games promoted the Commuter's cause. Holding opponents to a .438 OPS kept John Denny in the chase, and his Drillers in the Wild Card race as well. Rhoden's teammate Lamarr Hoyt chipped in with 4 Wins, and 3 Complete Games with 1 ShutOut. The Aztec's Danny Darwin had the best Starter's ERA - 1.32, but he could only manage 1 Win in his 5 Quality Starts. Bold numbers: Category leader.

Most Outstanding Hitter:

Jim Rice NYC (OPS 1.022, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 22 Runs, RC 29.1, Total Bases 74)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Bill Doran MTM (OPS 1.032, BA .436, OBP .500, 41 Hits )

3. Darryl Strawberry NHH (OPS 1.194, 7 HR, RC 29.0)

4. Jody Davis TCR (OPS 1.163, SLG .756, 16 EBH)

5. Dan Driessen CHR (OPS 1.149, OBP .478, RC 26.2)

Most Outstanding Pitcher:

Sammy Stewart PHA (2-0, 5/5 saves, 4 Holds, 18 games, 26.2 ip, 1er)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Rick Rhoden NYC (5-1, 5/7 Quality Starts, 2 CG, 3.74 ERA)

3. John Denny BSD (2-1, 1.56 ERA, .438 OPS, 5/5 Quality Starts, 0.78 WHIP)

4. Lamarr Hoyt NYC (4-0, 2.29 ERA, 5/7 Quality Starts, 3 CG, 1 SHO, 0.76 WHIP)

5. Danny Darwin SDA (1-2, 5/5 Quality Starts, 7 games, 1.32 ERA)

July 1983

Driving in 41 Runs with an OPS of 1.199 earned Dale Murphy of the Wellington Knights July Player of the Month Honours. Big Dale launched 9 Home Runs, bested only by Mike Schmidt's 10 with ORP. The Pioneers' Sweet Lou Whitaker came home a League high 28 times, and slapped out a League high 43 hits. Murphy's teammate Keith Hernandez posted a .486 OBP, and came around to score 24 times. Steady, and underrated, Slugger Jack Clark came through with a 1.090 OPS for Fuller. The League leading LaGranges' Lone Gunster Mel Hall helped the Gunmen stay at the top with his solid July. Note - Bold numbers: Category leader.

Diamond Jim Clancy and his league high 7 wins took home July Pitcher of the Month Honours. The Duke's Righty was 7 for 8 in Quality Starts, hurling 2 Complete Game Shutouts for the best team in Walter Johnson. The Alston Division leading Pioneer's got 3 wins from Jim Beattie, he of the 0.98 ERA in July. Clancy's teammate Floyd Bannister added 6 Wins in 6 Quality Starts, holding opponents to a .464 OPS, and striking out 50 as well. Venezulean Luis Leal had strong numbers as well - winning 4 games for the Aztecs. Lefty Reliever Jese Orosco won 5 games, and saved 7 others for the Black Jacks of Thunder Bay, keeping them right in the WildCard hunt. Note - Bold numbers: Category leader.

Most Outstanding Hitter:

Dale Murphy WLK (OPS 1.199, SLG .768, 41 RBI, RC 36.6, 9 HR, 25 Runs, 42 Hits)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Lou Whitaker ORP (OPS 1.069, 28 Runs, 43 Hits, RC 31.7)

3. Keith Hernandez WLK (OPS 1.067, OBP .486, 24 Runs, RC 26.6)

4. Jack Clark FLF (OPS 1.090, BA .367, SLG .658, OBP .432, 17 RBI)

5. Mel Hall LLG (OPS 1.056, SLG .667, OBP .389, 6 HR)

Most Outstanding Pitcher:

Jim Clancy SLD (7-0, 7/8 QS, 1.79 ERA, .518 OPS, 2 Sho, 2 CG)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Jim Beattie ORP (3-0, 4/5 QS, 0.98 ERA, 2 CG, 1 Sho)

3. Floyd Bannister SLD (6-0, 6/6 QS, 1.31 ERA, 50 K, .464 OPS)

4. Luis Leal SDA (4-1, 6/7 QS, 1.54 ERA, .485 OPS)

5. Jesse Orosco TBB (5-1, 7 saves, 26.1 ip, 0.87 WHIP)

June 1983

In an extremely difficult decision, the Pioneer's Mike Schmidt repeats as Player of the Month. The Duke's Joe Lefebvre ran the usual stats table, including having the best OPS, but his almost exclusive use against RHP's tipped the scales over to the full time playing Schmidt. But mighty Joe was awesome in those 70 at bats for the Anderson Division Dukes! Schmidt came back down to earth after his unreal May, and kept the Pioneers in the hunt for the Alston pennant. Boggs helped set the table for the Commuters; drawing 23 walks, and banging out 40 hits. 49 Hits from Schmidt's infield teammate - Sweet Lou Whitaker - led to his 28 Runs scored for Oregon. Narrowly besting personal favourite Ernie Whitt and his 1.000 OPS, was London's Third Baseman George Brett. The smooth swinging left handed batter had 17 extra base hits in June. Note - Bold numbers: Category leader.

Lefty Ron Guidry gets the nod for June's Pitcher of the Month Honours. The Diamond Dawg's Ace had 3 Wins in his 4 Quality Starts, and was the only true Starter with an ERA under 1.00. Eight Pitchers had 4 wins, and all but Bobby Ojeda were shut out of the running this month. Another fine Lefty, Philadelphia's Frank Tanana, also had 3 Wins and provided the Athletics with 6 Quality Starts. Versatile Aztec, Dave Rozema, chipped in with 3 Wins and 6 Saves in his 15 strong June appearances. Rozema's teammate Danny Darwin rounds out the top 5; he was a tough luck winner of only 1 game, despite his 5 Quality Starts, and .449 OPS. Note - Bold numbers: Category leader.

Most Outstanding Hitter:

Mike Schmidt ORP (OPS 1.015, RBI 33, RC 28.7, OBP .424, SLG .591, 26 Runs)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Joe Lefebvre SLD (OPS 1.190, BA .408, OBP .505, SLG .684, 31 Hits, 20 Runs)

3. Wade Boggs NYC (OPS 1.011, BA .397, OBP .492, 40 Hits, 21 Runs, 23 Walks)

4. Lou Whitaker ORP (OPS .965, BA .392, 49 Hits, 28 Runs)

5. George Brett LDR (OPS .965, SLG .620, 17 XBase Hits, 20 Runs)

Most Outstanding Pitcher:

Ron Guidry DDD (3-1, 4/4 QS, ERA 0.55, .449 OPS, WHIP 0.85, 1 SHO, 1 CG, RC ERA 1.50)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Frank Tanana PHA (3-1, 6/6 QS, ERA 1.44, OPS .561, WHIP 1.08)

3. Dave Rozema SDA (3-1, 6 saves, 1 start, 15 games, ERA 0.69, 26 ip, 2 Earned Runs)

4. Bobby Ojeda PHA (4-1, ERA 1.78, .512 OPS, 1 SHO, 4/5 QS, 1 CG)

5. Danny Darwin SDA (1-2, 5/5 QS, ERA 1.05, .449 OPS, WHIP 1.05)

May 1983

Launching a Home Run every 5.6 at bats, for a staggering total of 16 in May, Oregon's Mike Schmidt easily earned our Player of the Month Honours. The Pioneer's smooth fielding Third Baseman (.974) slugged .856, and drove in 32 runs. An outstanding performance! Tim Wallach had a "Furiesous" May, with a solid 1.063 OPS; The "Bull" from Toronto hit 10 Home Runs and drove in 26; Savannah's Hendrick and Herndon proved a powerful twosome, keeping the Shoeless ones at the top of the Alston Division. Note - Bold numbers: Category leader.

5 Wins in 5 Starts garnered Storm Davis our Most Outstanding Pitcher Honours for May. The Dukes 21 year old Righty hurled 3 Complete Games, and Sleepytown again has the overall best record at 32-16. A tough month for Relief Ace's as they were shut out of the Honour's in May, though Milton's Dan Quisenberry had 9 saves (but 2 losses, as well). A "quadrilogy" of 4 game winners round out the final four spots (a "fourgone" conclusion); April POM Dave Stieb (and his 47.1 innings Pitched) from the Weaver Division leading Gunmen was right in the mix again; as was the Driller's Alejandro Pena and the Rays tough lefty Scott McGregor: both Pena and McGregor with impressive ERA's just a tick over a half run a game. The Commuter's Lamarr Hoyt rounds out the May picks, with his 4 wins for the Martin Division leading New Yorkers. Note - Bold numbers: Category leader.

Most Outstanding Hitter:

Mike Schmidt ORP (OPS 1.257, HR 16, SLG .856, RBI 32, Runs 23, RC 32.1, Total Ave. 1.453)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Tim Wallach FLF (OPS 1.063, HR 7, SLG .638, RBI 24, BA .362, OBP .425, RC 25.7)

3. Greg Luzinski TCR (OPS .977, HR 10, SLG .630, RBI 26, RC 20.7)

4. Larry Herndon SSJ (OPS 1.009, BA .371, Hits 36, OBP .411, Runs 18, SLG .598)

5. George Hendrick SSJ (OPS .972, SLG .583, Runs 19, Hits 32)

Most Outstanding Pitcher:

Storm Davis SLD (5-0, 3 CG, ERA 1.88, 4/5 QS, K 31, OPS .477)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Alejandro Pena BSD (4-0, 4/4 QS, ERA 0.56, OPS .364, K 26, 1 CG, 1SHO)

3. Dave Stieb LLG (4-1, 6/6 QS, ERA 1.90, IP 47.1, K 35, 2 CG, 1 SHO)

4. Scott McGregor CHR (4-0, 5/5 QS, ERA 0.67, OPS .427, 3 CG, 2 SHO )

5. Lamarr Hoyt NYC (4-1, 5/5 QS, ERA 1.93, K 24)

April 1983

The defending Champion Wellington Knight's Dale Murphy launched 10 Homeruns, and scored 25 runs to take April Player of the Month honours. New York's Wade Boggs got on base at a .483 clip, batting a league high .386. The Gunmen's Catcher Butch Wynegar had an outstanding month, and he was not a"Lone", as teammate Mel Hall posted a league best 1.112 OPS, just ahead of both Wynegar and Murphy. The Senator's Rickey Henderson's 22 runs were just behind Murphy's 25, and his 25 stolen bases wrought havoc on Columbia's opponents. Note - Bold numbers: Category leader.

9 Pitchers posted qualifying ERA's under 2.00 this first month of the 1983 season, and in a very close competition, the Weaver Division leading Gunmen's Dave Stieb leads off our Pitcher of the Month honours. LaGrange's Ace had 4 Wins in 6 starts, including 3 shutouts and 2 complete games. Incredibly, Stieb struck out 37, while only walking 2. Two unique relievers had great April's as well. Power pitching Lee Smith worked in 15 games, amassing 22 strike outs in 25 innings pitched, giving up only 2 earned runs for a 0.72 ERA. Sidearming Kent Tekulve did not allow an earned run in his 14 games of work for the Commuters of New York. The Elks Mike Boddicker turned in a stellar 1.15 ERA in his 5 quality starts, though he could only manage 1 win. Leading the loop with 5 wins in 7 April starts was the Dawg's Jack Morris. Note - Bold numbers: Category leader.

Most Outstanding Hitter:

Dale Murphy WLK (Total Bases + BB + HBP 89, OPS 1.107, HR 10, SLG .723, RC 29.7, 25 runs)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Wade Boggs NYC (BA .386, OBP .483, OPS .959, Total Bases + BB + HBP 67)

3. Butch Wynegar LLG (OBP .463, SLG .646, OPS 1.109, TA 1.326)

4. Mel Hall LLG (OPS 1.112, Total Bases + BB + HBP 64, SLG .680, OBP.432, HR 6, RBI 14, 12 runs)

5. Rickey Henderson CLS (OBP .371, 25/30 stolen bases, 22 runs, HR 3)

Most Outstanding Pitcher:

Dave Stieb LLG (GS 6, QS 5, IP 50.1, 4-0, ERA 1.79, K-W 37-2, 3 CG, 2 SHO, Comp. ERA 1.41)

Receiving Consideration (in order):

2. Lee Smith LDR (G15, 4 Saves, IP 25, ERA 0.72, K-W 22-7)

3. Kent Tekulve NYC (G 14, IP 15.1, 8 Saves, ERA 0.00, K 7, 12 GF)

4. Mike Boddicker PBE (5/5 QS, IP 39, 1-1, ERA 1.15, K 36, 1 CG)

5. Jack Morris DDD (GS 7, QS 5, IP 51, 5-2, ERA 3.18, K 38, 1 CG, )