Judge, Goldschmidt, J-Rod headline MLB's monthly award winners for May
Major League Baseball handed out its awards for the month of May on Friday. Here's a look at the honorees:
Players of the Month
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was named American League Player of the Month after hitting a blistering .311/.378/.699 with 12 homers, 16 extra-base hits, and 25 RBIs for the first-place Yankees. It's the first time Judge, who leads the majors with 19 homers, has won the monthly honor since September 2017.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was the National League's top player in May. He hit .404/.471/.817 with 10 homers, 33 RBIs, and 20 runs scored during 27 games last month. Goldschmidt's 23 extra-base hits set a new Cardinals record for the month of May.
Pitchers of the Month
The American League's top pitcher in May was Texas Rangers left-hander Martin Perez. A first-time winner of this honor, Perez continued his jaw-dropping renaissance by going 4-0 with a sparkling 0.64 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 33 strikeouts, and zero home runs allowed across 42 1/3 innings. Perez pitched into the seventh inning in each of his six May starts and didn't allow runs in three of them, including a complete-game shutout of the Houston Astros on May 20.
Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler was the Senior Circuit's Pitcher of the Month. While his team has struggled, Wheeler was his usual dominant self, sporting a 1.65 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 40 strikeouts and only five walks in 32 2/3 innings. He's the first Phillies pitcher to earn the honor since Cliff Lee in August 2011.
Rookies of the Month
Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez shook off his slow start to be named the Junior Circuit's top rookie in May. Rodriguez, who leads the majors with 15 stolen bases, hit .309/.339/.527 with six homers, 17 RBIs, 12 runs scored, and five steals over his 28 games last month. The 21-year-old is the first Mariners rookie to earn this honor since Mike Carp in August 2011.
The NL's top rookie for the month was San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis Gonzalez. The 26-year-old was a pleasant surprise for San Francisco, slashing .368/.410/.500 with eight extra-base hits, 13 RBIs, three stolen bases, and 38 total bases across 23 games.
Relievers of the Month
Yankees closer Clay Holmes was honored with the AL's Reliever of the Month award for his emergence as an elite bullpen arm. Holmes, who took over ninth-inning duties for New York after Aroldis Chapman landed on the injured list, didn't walk a batter or allow an earned run in his 12 May outings while also tallying four saves and 15 strikeouts in 14 innings of work.
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander David Bednar, one of the team's few bright spots this season, was named the NL's top reliever for May. Bednar held opposing hitters to a meager .170/.197/.288 line last month while collecting seven saves, 21 strikeouts, and a 0.74 WHIP across 16 1/3 innings.