May is behind us now, so it's time to pass out the "hardware." Those of you who have been around for a long time know that monthly awards are a hallmark of this site; we have issued awards for each month of our existence.
Those of you who have been around for a really long time will recall that May was only month two for Fish Stripes, and that at the old site, we didn't do things like awards (or really much of anything with any sort of regularity). But now we do. And it's so great. I'm sure you're trying to think of witty things to add to the site right now - so that you can come back a month from now and see if you won an award. While you're doing that, let's discuss the May awards...
Pitcher of the Month
Before we give out this month's award, let's look at the numbers - but with the names of the starters removed. Can you match the stats to the Marlin? (Stats courtesy of David Pinto's Day by Day Database)
(This was where a fancy table was supposed to go - kind of like the Ichthyomancy standings, but way fancier. But for the second day in a row, despite my efforts yesterday to appease the Powers That Be, the table has been lost. Instead you get this...)
1. 35 2/3 IP, 32 H, 15 ER, 3.79 ERA 8.33 K/9, 4.04 BB/9
2. 35 IP, 33 H, 8 ER, 2.06 ERA, 8.23 K/9, 2.57 BB/9
3. 30 2/3 IP, 30 H, 7 ER, 2.05 ERA, 4.40 K/9, 1.17 BB/9
4. 27 1/3 IP, 29 H, 21 ER, 6.91 ERA, 4.94 K/9, 7.24 BB/9
5. 25 IP, 26 H, 12 ER, 4.32 ERA, 9.72 K/9, 3.60 BB/9
Hopefully that's readable. If not, click on the link (above). Be warned that you'll see the names of the pitchers if you click on the link.
One pitcher is very easy to pick out - #4, which is Al Leiter. The 5th pitcher is also easy to pick out, if you've been paying very close attention. It's A.J. Burnett, who was the only starter to miss a turn in May (and thus, he didn't log as many innings as the other starters). From there, it gets a little tougher.
The first starter listed is Josh Beckett. Not a bad line for the month. Listed second and third are Dontrelle Willis and Brian Moehler, respectively.
Both sets of stats are sparkling, but Moehler's are more impressive (as much as I have a man-crush on Dontrelle), because they're so unexpected. An ERA just north of 2? Four strikeouts for each walk? Are you kidding me? The road to prominence is apparently made of gold and covered in rose petals.
Still, he's not going to be the first two-time winner of the FishStripes.com Marlins Pitcher of the Month Award.
This month's award goes to Todd Jones. Because of injuries, more was asked of Todd during May than anyone expected. Jones didn't just fill the void - he excelled. During May, Jones notched 7 saves and maintained an ERA of 1.32. Plus, he maintained a blog at the same time.
Player of the Month
It's tough to go against Miguel Cabrera, as he's second in the league in hitting. But that's not what we're about here; going the easy way isn't what we do.
Carlos Delgado is our player of the month. With a batting average of about .320 and an OBP of well over .400, Carlos had a solid month. He also added 8 homers and knocked in 25 runs. Without him (and/or Cabrera), there would have been no offense. If the Marlins played in New York (hey, maybe they'll end up relocating there), we'd all be talking about how Delgado became a "real" Marlin this month.
Former Marlin of the Month
If the season ended today, Derrek Lee would win the NL Triple Crown. Really - he would. While many other former Marlins had great Mays, Lee had a month that evoked memories of Willie Mays.
Don't get me wrong, I have a man-crush on Delgado too, but if DLee was still a Marlin, the club would be in great shape. You wouldn't lose anything offensively, and you'd save some runs defensively.
Minor Leaguer of the Month
Without even taking any stats into consideration, this month's award goes to Jeff Allison. As we've talked about before, when Allison was drafted by the Marlins in 2003, he was as highly touted as anyone. Then some personal and off-field issues crept into the picture and Allison was away from the game until May. Since returning to the field, Allison has logged 20+ innings in low-A ball, where he has accumulated an ERA of 3.92 and has allowed fewer hits than innings pitched.
Diary of the Month
This one was sewn up early. While Carolina braved the elements in Philadelphia in late April, she wasn't able to write about it until May. Whether you've checked out her entry previously or not, it's definitely worth a read.
Comment of the Month
We didn't do a very thorough job of tracking our favorite comments this month. One comment in particular stuck out though, as a slight typo has become part of the site lexicon. Check out this comment from Fishfan24 about slumps, er - I mean skumps.
NEW CATEGORY: Email of the Month
This one just made it in under the wire (and thus the new category).
To set up the new award, the criteria is simple: any site related email that comes to either myself, Grover, or Yoda is eligible. Unless you give your permission, we won't use your name. We'll also only consider material that's appropriate for the site (we don't want to do anything to reduce the fan mail from the females, you know).
Without further ado, here's this month's winner:
This line was, of course, in reference to the Marlins' current plight. Sure, they're still in first place, technically, but they've lost six of their past seven.
I'd like to hold myself to putting my faith in McKeon if he turns things around too (I'm not sure that I can actually do it though - I do like to complain). Jack has gone the unconventional route before - actually, I'm not sure that Jack is even familiar with any conventional route - and has proved me wrong. Maybe that will work again this time. Maybe juggling the lineup and holding closed door meetings to discuss the evils of walks is all this club needs.
Given this skump that the Marlins are in right now (losing of late, not hitting when they're pitching, iffy pitching when they are hitting, etc.), I think we all hope that Jack can pull some more magic out of his hat, or puff it out of his cigar, or whatever it is that he does.
Prize Details
As we discussed last month, there are prizes for our winners. First time winners of the Diary, Comment, and Email of the Month awards win the most special prize of all - the pleasure of knowing that they won. Two-time (or more) Diary, Comment, and/or Email winners are entitled to receive the same award as the players - keep reading (note: this award may only be available this month; winners - if any - must contact a Fish Stripes representative to claim their prize; in coming months, the supply of prizes is subject to change).
Winners of the Pitcher, Player, and Former Marlin of the Month are entitled to a meal of their choice at the restaurant of their choice with yours truly. Just drop me a line and we'll get it all set up.
It was a great second month here at Fish Stripes. Hopefully we'll have many more. Whether you read, commented, wrote a diary or two, or emailed, thank you for making this site so much fun (for me at least)!