Two months have passed by in the 2023 MLB season and to say it’s been a whirlwind season is an understatement. The monthly award winners for May have been announced so let’s break it down by each award:
AL Player of the Month: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
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Since returning from the injured list, Aaron Judge had a monstrous month of May, to say the least. The reigning AL MVP is slugging .333/.458/.803 since May 9th. The slugger is certainly resembling his 2022 MVP self.
NL Player of the Month: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
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The Dodgers first baseman saw an outstanding performance in May, slashing .400/.462/.722 in 28 games this past month, setting Dodgers franchise records for any month with 17 doubles and 24 extra-base hits. Freeman led the National League in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS (1.188), hits (46), doubles, runs scored (28), and runs batted in (26) in May.
AL Pitcher of the Month: Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers
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Eovaldi has been a surprise ace in his first season with Texas. The former Red Sox World Champion had a strong May in which he went 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA, racking up 31 K’s. The right-hander is 7-2 for the year with a 2.42 ERA. He’s struck out 70 batters in 74.1 innings.
NL Pitcher of the Month: Michael Wacha, San Diego Padres.
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After a rough start to the season with his new team, Wacha settled in and went 3-0 for the month with a 0.84 ERA while striking out 26 batters. It is the first time the veteran has received a Pitcher of the Month Award.
AL Rookie of the Month: Josh Jung, Texas Rangers
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The Rangers third baseman won his second consecutive AL Rookie of the Month Award on Friday. He hit .318 with six home runs in 26 games in May. The 25-year-old is hitting .291/.336/.524 for the season.
NL Rookie of the Month: Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds
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In May, Steer hit .318, hitting six home runs and driving in 19 runs. The 25-year-old also hit The Reds infielder who was acquired at the 2022 trade deadline is sporting a .289/.358/.500 slash line for the season.
AL Reliever of the Month: Alex Lange, Detroit Tigers
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Lange was part of a Detroit bullpen that saw a lot of success in May. Lange himself pitched 10.2 innings and sported a 0.84 ERA punching out 17 opposing hitters as well as having seven saves. In his outings in 2023, Lange has pitched to a 1.16 ERA with 10 saves and a 0.90 WHIP.
NL Reliever of the Month: Camilo Doval, San Francisco Giants
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Camilo Doval earned himself another Reliever of the Month Award for his career after enjoying a stretch that ranked among the best for any closer in Giants history. For the month, Doval made 14 appearances and pitched 13.2 innings with 23 K’s, two earned runs, and 11 saves. For the season, Doval has 24.2 IP with a 2.19 ERA and 38 K’s.
Edited by: Katie LeLasher
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