We’re two months into the 2015 MLB season, and the cream is starting to rise to the crop. Plenty of the best players in baseball shined in May, and we’re seeing some truly great seasons begin to unfold.
AL Best Hitter of the Month: Jason Kipnis
Well, that escalated quickly. Kipnis was worth a ridiculous 3.1 fWAR in May, hitting .429/.511/.706 with four homers and three stolen bases. He walked just one less time than he struck out, and notched 51 hits during the 29 games he played this month. Remember when Kipnis had a .551 OPS in April and looked awful? Yeah…that seems like a long time ago. After an off year in 2014, Kipnis is back on the path to stardom, and Cleveland is going to need him to stay hot in order to compete in the AL Central and possibly take home a playoff berth.
Honorable mentions: Nelson Cruz, Josh Donaldson, Brian Dozier, Prince Fielder, Stephen Vogt
April winner: Adam Jones
AL Worst Hitter of the Month: Stephen Drew
When Stephen Drew struggled in 2014, the reasoning seemed solid – he didn’t sign until the season was already two months old, and the lack of Spring Training killed him. So, what’s Drew’s excuse this year? He’s hitting .157/.225/.301 for the year, and in May, Drew hit an incomprehensible .143/.188/.220. That’s good for a .184 wOBA and a wRC+ of…8. Yes, 8. Six AL players had at least eight homers in May. Drew’s wRC+ was 8. That’s not ideal. Incredibly, Drew’s power is the sole reason he had any value at the plate – 16 AL players with at least 70 plate appearances in the month had a lower ISO than Drew’s .077 mark. Now that Jose Pirela is off the DL, will he start stealing playing time at second base from Drew? I’d imagine so, but Didi Gregorius’s struggles at short for the Yankees could seemingly ensure that Drew won’t be out of the lineup on a regular basis.
Dishonorable mentions: Melky Cabrera, J.J. Hardy, Kevin Kiermaier, Kevin Pillar, Rene Rivera
April “winner”: Matt Joyce
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 24: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on May 24, 2015 in Washington, DC. The Washington Nationals won, 4-1. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
NL Best Hitter of the Month: Bryce Harper
Harper finished May by going 1/9 over the weekend in Cincinnati…and he still hit .360/.495/.884 with 13 homers for the month. His .523 ISO was higher than every other player’s wOBA for the month. Harper’s offense is on another level right now, and he’s running away with the NL MVP award through two months. However, he may be getting challenged as the season goes on, because there are some other NL players that are playing quite well…
Honorable mentions: Brandon Belt, Todd Frazier, Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew McCutchen, Anthony Rizzo
April winner: Adrian Gonzalez
NL Worst Hitter of the Month: Matt Kemp
Remember when Matt Kemp got off to that hot start in the season’s first week, and everyone was willing to throw the Dodgers under the bus? Yeah…about that. In May, Kemp didn’t homer at all, struck out in more than a quarter of his plate appearance, and slashed an unsightly .186/.225/.212. Thankfully for the Padres, Los Angeles is paying the bulk of Kemp’s salary this season – his production would probably be a lot more distressing to them if they were on the hook for his entire contract.
Dishonorable mentions: Alexi Amarista, Starlin Castro, Billy Hamilton, Odubel Herrera, Juan Lagares
April “winner”: Chase Utley
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 23: Starting pitcher Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field on May 23, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Corey Kluber
AL Best Pitcher of the Month: Corey Kluber
Yes, the reigning AL Cy Young winner “only” had a 2.95 ERA. But his performance on the mound was still excellent. In his six starts, Kluber completed 42 2/3 innings, second in the AL to just Dallas Keuchel of the Astros. Kluber struck out an AL-high 60 hitters in those 42 2/3 innings, and walked just six (that’s a 10:1 strikeout to walk ratio, in case you’re not all that great at math). In his last four starts of the month, Kluber struck out 50 hitters and walked just two over 32 innings. That’s outrageous. Let’s just go ahead and stop worrying about him – I think Kluber is good to go and ready to defend his crown.
Honorable mentions: Jesse Chavez, Sonny Gray, Dallas Keuchel, Chris Sale, Chris Young
April winner: Chris Archer
AL Worst Pitcher of the Month: Justin Masterson
I normally don’t like to pick on injured players, but Masterson was truly awful in his three May starts before going onto the DL. He threw 12 2/3 innings (six of those coming in one start), walked ten, struck out just four, and gave up a dozen runs. In his first rehab start on Saturday, Masterson walked three and struck out two over 1 2/3 innings and 50 pitches. That one-year deal he signed last winter with the Red Sox doesn’t look like much of a great investment for Boston right about now.
Dishonorable mentions: Samuel Deduno, R.A. Dickey, Jeremy Guthrie, Dan Jennings, Hector Noesi
April “winner”: Ross Detwiler
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 22: Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the third inning during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on May 22, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NL Best Pitcher of the Month: Max Scherzer
Plenty of NL pitchers pitched quite well this month, but I went with Scherzer, who has been magnificent for the Nationals this season. In six May starts, Scherzer threw 43 innings, striking out 56, walking six, and pitching to a 1.67 ERA. In ten starts this season, Scherzer hasn’t walked more than two hitters in a start, and has failed to finish the seventh inning just once. He’s also allowed more than two earned runs just once all season. Washington’s monstrous investment in him is paying off so far, especially considering who the worst NL pitcher of May is…
Honorable mentions: A.J. Burnett, Jacob deGrom, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, Shelby Miller
April winner: Johnny Cueto
NL Worst Pitcher of the Month: Stephen Strasburg
The refrain around Strasburg all season has been the same – “he’s gotta be hurt”. He was placed on the DL this weekend with a strained neck muscle, but that still doesn’t explain his truly wretched May. In five starts, he threw only 16 innings, pitching to a 10.13 ERA while striking out 15 and walking six. His struggled in 2015 have been truly depressing, because Strasburg is one of the most talented pitchers in all of baseball…but he’s been simply terrible this year, and no one can really explain why.
Dishonorable mentions: Josh Collmenter, Mike Leake, Jason Marquis, Eric Stults, Travis Wood
April “winner”: Ryan Vogelsong
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – MAY 24: Steven Souza Jr. #20 of the Tampa Bay Rays is tagged out at home plate by catcher Stephen Vogt #21 of the Oakland Athletics as he attempts to score off the throw following a single by James Loney #21 to end the first inning of a game on May 24, 2015 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
AL Best Rookie of the Month: Steven Souza Jr.
The AL rookie crop is horrible this season. Devon Travis got off to a hot start in April, struggled in May, and is now on the DL. Only two AL rookies had an OPS of better than .850 during the month, and both were part-time players. So Steven Souza Jr. is getting the nod this month, and he may end up winning the AL Rookie of the Year award if he simply stays healthy and plays 150 games. In May, Souza hit .238/.333/.512 with three stolen bases (which actually ranked third among AL rookies for the month) and an AL-rookie high six homers. You could have chosen one of about eight players for this award, and I really wouldn’t have faulted any choice – which middle of the road player is the most appealing?
Honorable mentions: Billy Burns, Joey Butler, Nathan Karns, Preston Tucker, Mike Wright
April winner: Devon Travis
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 31: at Wrigley Field on May 31, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
NL Best Rookie of the Month: Kris Bryant
The NL rookie crop is vastly different from that in the AL. Kris Bryant is getting the nod for this month, but April winner Joc Pederson, Bryant’s teammate Addison Russell, Pirates Korean stud Jung Ho Kang, and Mets stud Noah Syndergaard all had strong months and finished closely behind him. Bryant launched seven homers over the month (actually two fewer than Pederson’s nine), slashed .265/.369/.510 (only 19 points better than Pederson), and stole three bases (tied with Kang for second-most among NL rookies in May). This race isn’t even close to being over, especially when you consider that Yasmany Tomas is getting hot, Alex Guerrero is getting regular playing time, Matt Duffy has taken over at third base in San Francisco, and Justin Bour has turned into a masher in Miami with Michael Morse on the DL. Bryant and Pederson are battling at the top right now, but an army of excellent NL rookies is lurking.
Honorable mentions: Mike Foltynewicz, Jung Ho Kang, Joc Pederson, Addison Russell, Noah Syndergaard
April winner: Joc Pederson
