Reviewing the MLB’s June Players of the Month
June was a great month for baseball. The MLB saw its highest average game attendance for the month of June since 2014, and it’s not much of a surprise why. From Aaron Judge’s home runs to Jarren Durran’s breakout tear, the month of June left us with a lot to be excited about. The truth is, the same can be said about this season in general. On Tuesday, for both the National and American Leagues, MLB.com released the official layers, Rookies, Starting Pitchers, and Relief Pitchers of the Month. Let’s take a dive into the players and the months that they had.
Judge was named Player of the Month for the AL for the second month in a row, and Bryce Harper took home the crown for the NL. Both of these shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Judge has been almost undeniably the best player in baseball this year, and Harper is likely the leading MVP candidate for the NL. Judge put up high school baseball numbers, as he hit .409 with a staggering ops of .1378, and picked up 37 RBIs as well as 11 HR. Harper didn’t do so badly himself, as he hit .374 with a 1.166 ops, along with 17 extra-base hits. The respective Pitchers of the Month were Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox for the AL and Christopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL. Crochet had an insane 57 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched, with an ERA of 1.91. Sanchez had an ERA of 1.64 in 33 innings pitched. Both of these pitchers dominated June and earned their spots without question.
The AL Rookie of the Month was former number one overall pick Wyatt Langford, as well as San Diego Padres top prospect Jackson Merrill for the NL. Langford hit for the cycle in June, as well as batting .309 with 12 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs. Merrill has been putting up absolutely ridiculous numbers for a rookie as he hit .320 in June with nine home runs and 20 RBIs. For the Relief Pitchers of the Month, Carlos Estevez of the Los Angeles Angels represented the AL. In June, he had a 0.00 ERA in 10 innings pitched, which is insane. Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals took home the award for the NL, and he had a month himself, with 21 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched, as well as 12 saves. Overall, June was a special month for baseball and baseball fans, and I know we can’t wait for what July has in store.
