Abreu becomes 1st rookie to win AL Player and Rookie of the Month twice in a season

Jose Abreu's impressive rookie campaign is already historic.

The White Sox first baseman slugged his way into the record books Monday after Major League Baseball named him the American League Player and Rookie of the Month for July. He's the first player in league history to earn both distinctions in the same month twice in a season.

Abreu's hot-hitting July saw the Cuban import smack an AL-leading 11 doubles and 17 extra-base hits, while pacing the league in average (.374) and slugging (.667). His month also included a pair of noteworthy streaks, via MLB.com:

Abreu hit safely in 24 of 25 games during the month and put together a career-best 21-game hitting streak between July 6 and Aug. 1. It is the longest streak in the AL this season and the longest for the Sox since Carlos Lee's club-record 28-game run in 2004. Abreu is the first big leaguer with two hitting streaks of at least 18 games in the same season since Jacoby Ellsbury (19 and 18) in 2011, and the first rookie since Ichiro Suzuki (23 and 21) in 2001. 

Just how difficult an out was Abreu during the month of July? ESPN Stats & Info mapped his hot zone:

The 27-year-old slugger collected six more homers in July to up his total to 31 on the season. Abreu is slightly off pace of the single-season rookie home run record of 49 set by Mark McGwire in 1987, but with two 10-homer months under his belt, it remains in striking distance.

Abreu owns the second highest weighted on-base percentage (.416) in the AL this season, and his four wins above replacement is only exceeded by Paul Goldschmidt (4.2) among major-league first basemen.