Correa, Blackmon headline May Player of the Month awards
After stellar performances throughout May, Carlos Correa and Charlie Blackmon earned Player of the Month nods Friday for their respective leagues.
Correa, the star Houston Astros shortstop, slashed .386/.457/.673 in May with seven home runs in 101 at-bats, taking home American League honors. Still just 22 years old, Correa was a big part of his team's 22-7 record in May.
In the National League, Blackmon continued his torrid pace, slashing .359/.387/.650 over his 117 at-bats. Remarkably, the Colorado Rockies leadoff man leads the majors with 47 RBIs.
Further buoying the Astros' white-hot May, Lance McCullers Jr. was named Pitcher of the Month for the American League. The 23-year-old starter was impressively stingy in May, allowing just four earned runs while posting a WHIP of 0.85 and striking out 37 batters in 36 1/3 innings pitched.
Out of the senior circuit, Alex Wood was handed the pitching honor. Despite currently being on the disabled list, Wood began his season in unbelievable fashion, boasting a 6-0 record through eight starts. In May, the left-hander struck out 41 batters in 28 1/3 innings, posting a 1.27 ERA and winning all five of his starts.
The Los Angeles Dodgers weren't done there, though. 21-year-old Cody Bellinger continues to build an impressive portfolio, taking home NL Rookie of the Month honors after hitting nine home runs in May.
For the second consecutive month, Aaron Judge got the nod on the AL side. Aside from leading all of baseball with 17 home runs, Judge posted yet another month with an OPS north of 1.000 and had a cheering section in Yankee Stadium built in his honor.
Craig Kimbrel was as lights-out as closers come, picking up AL Reliever of the Month honors by converting all seven of his save opportunities, while allowing just one hit and striking out 25 batters in 12 2/3 innings.
On the National League side, the Cinderella story Rockies continue to get amazing contributions from Greg Holland, who converted all eight of his save opportunities in May. Holland sat out the entire 2016 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.