After an August in which he set the franchise record for rookie runs scored in a month, challenged the record for hits in a month, and tied the Nationals' rookie record for stolen bases in a season, infielder/outfielder Trea Turner was named the National League Rookie of the Month for August. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network on Saturday afternoon.
Turner, 23, put together a blisteringly hot month of August, hitting .357 with a .366 on-base percentage and .571 slugging percentage. Appearing in 28 games, 27 as a starter, Turner collected six doubles, three triples, five home runs, 15 RBI, three walks, 11 stolen bases, and 27 runs scored. He hit .400 on balls put in play.
The 45 hits Turner posted in August, a Nationals rookie record (2005-present) for hits in a single calendar month, came up just two shy of second baseman Daniel Murphy's 47 in May for the Nationals record and the franchise record (Nationals/Expos), held by Murphy, outfielder Al Oliver (August, 1982) & outfielder Marquis Grissom (June, 1994).
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Turner's 27 runs in August were a new franchise record for most runs in a month by a Nationals/Expos rookie, topping the 26 Bryce Harper scored in Sept., 2012. Turner's 11 stolen bases last month rank third in the National League, but tied for first among all National League rookies. His .357 batting average, however, well outpaced any other NL rookie (LAD SS Corey Seager was second at .330).
The turning of the page on the calendar hasn't slowed Turner any, either. He was 2-for-4 on Friday night at the New York Mets, posting his 22^nd multi-hit game of the season and extending his on-base streak to 21 straight games. Turner, just the second rookie in Nationals history (2005-present) to record an on-base streak of 20 games or more (also Danny Espinosa, 26 games, 2011), set the Nationals' rookie record for stolen bases in a single season on Friday when he swiped his 19^th bag. He added his 20^th moments later, stealing second and third in the first inning, en route to Washington's first run of the night.
Over the course of the 21 straight games Turner has reached base, he's hitting .406 with five doubles, two triples, three home runs, 10 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 22 runs scored.
Among MLB rookies with at least 180 plate appearances this season, Turner leads in average (.347) while ranking in slugging percentage (4th, .537) and on-base percentage (4th, .367). He also leads all rookies in triples with six, and ranks second with 20 stolen bases.
This is the first monthly award of any kind for Turner, and just the fourth Rookie of the Month award bestowed upon a Nationals player in team history (2005-present). Turner joins Harper (May and Sept./Oct. 2012), and Ryan Church (May, 2005) as the only Nationals rookies ever to take home the monthly award. Turner also joins Harper, who earned Player of the Month honors in April, Murphy (May and July), and right-hander Stephen Strasburg (Pitcher of the Month, July) as Nationals monthly honorees this season.