Harper, Kipnis earn Player of the Month honors; Bryant, DeShields named top rookies for May
The most talented 22-year-old in the National League and one of the most resilient second basemen in the American League were recognized Wednesday for their remarkable performances last month.
Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals was named the NL's Player of the Month on Wednesday after launching 13 home runs with a 1.379 OPS over 26 games in May. In the midst of a remarkable breakout campaign, Harper sits atop the NL with 18 home runs and leads all the Senior Circuit in All-Star voting.
Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, meanwhile, took home the award for the AL after hitting .429/.511/.706 with 22 extra-base hits and 16 multi-hit games in 29 contests last month. Despite managing just a .640 OPS in an injury-riddled 2014 campaign, Kipnis currently ranks fourth in the majors with 3.0 wins above replacement.
Harper, however, wasn't the only Nationals player to get some love, as right-hander Max Scherzer earned the NL's Pitcher of the Month after crafting a 1.67 ERA with 56 strikeouts in six May starts. Houston Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel claimed the AL equivalent after allowing one earned run or fewer in three of his six starts last month.
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | HR/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scherzer | 43 | 1.67 | 0.91 | 11.72 | 0.63 |
| Keuchel | 44.2 | 2.62 | 1.05 | 7.66 | 0.60 |
Kris Bryant, the impossibly talented Chicago Cubs youngster, was similiarly named the NL's Rookie of the Month for May, posting an impressive .879 OPS with seven home runs and 16 walks last month. The AL award, meanwhile, went to Delino DeShields Jr. of the Texas Rangers, who started just 22 games but hit .296 with a .406 on-base percentage and 10 stolen bases in 97 plate appearances.