Apr 20, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Ervin Santana (54) pitches in the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
The 2017 MLB season officially reached the one-month mark and certain players shined throughout April. Here are some award winners for the past month.
What an opening month to the 2017 season. To nobody's surprise, the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals all lead their respected divisions, while the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles stand atop the AL East, despite the question marks both teams faced heading into the season. And in the NL West, the Colorado Rockies are off to an impressive start and lead their division heading into May.
Along with the great starts, there were rough starts for teams, as well. The Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals all look to put April behind them.
In April, a lot of balls left the yard. Four hitters reached double-digit home run totals. Those four include Eric Thames (11), Ryan Zimmerman (11), Khris Davis (10) and Aaron Judge (10).
Epic moments happened this past month including three cycles. The last time MLB saw three cycles in the month of April was in 2009. Carlos Gomez, Trea Turner and Wil Myers all pulled off the tremendous feat this year.
Some ferocious comebacks occurred in April including the Yankees overcoming a sixth-inning 9-1 deficit against the Orioles and then the Los Angeles Angels scoring seven runs in the ninth inning to walk-off against the Seattle Mariners.
The only thing this month missing was a no-hitter or perfect game. So, without further ado, here are the award winners for the month of April.
Apr 30, 2017; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a single against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie of the Month:
AL – Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge is off to a terrific start in his 2017 rookie campaign. Without Judge's great month, the New York Yankees probably wouldn't sit near the top of AL East after the first month.
The Yankees called up Judge in August of 2016. His first 27 games in the big leagues didn't fare well for the 24-year-old. He hit .179/.263/.345 with four home runs and 10 RBI.
Flash forward to 2017 and Judge is a brand new hitter. He's hitting .303/.411/.750 with 10 home runs, 20 RBI and 23 runs. Judge's 10 home runs tie the MLB rookie record for homers in April with Jose Abreu and Trevor Story.
Judge's play could easily place him into the MVP conversation early in the season. Judge currently sits at a 1.8 bWAR (tied for sixth-best in MLB). He leads the Yankees in bWAR. He leads all of the AL in slugging percentage and OPS.
Honorable Mention: Andrew Benintendi and Mitch Haniger
NL – Manuel Margot
Unlike the AL rookie of the month, the NL rookie of the month is on a losing-record team, the San Diego Padres. Manuel Margot got off to a hot start in 2017 and is already one of the best players on the San Diego Padres.
The Padres called up Margot last September and he played in 10 games. He hit .243/.243/.405 with three RBI and four runs. In 26 games in 2017, Margot is hitting .267/.300/.419 with three home runs, eight RBI and 14 runs.
His 29 hits in April led all rookies. The Padres are a team in a rebuilding period. They won't compete in 2017, but Margot is a key part of the team moving forward. Margot barely beat out his teammate Hunter Renfroe for NL rookie of the month.
Honorable Mention: Hunter Renfroe and Josh Bell
Apr 7, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova (46) delivers a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of the 2017 season opening home game at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
April Cy Young
AL – Ervin Santana
The battle for AL Cy Young in April is a close race between Ervin Santana and Chris Sale. Santana edges out Sale by a slim margin.
Santana owns one-third of the Minnesota Twins' wins in April. He's a perfect 4-0 with a 0.77 ERA. Santana pitches to contact and isn't a big strikeout pitcher. In his 35 innings pitched, Santana's struck out 26 batters.
Last season, Santana posted a 3.38 ERA which tied his best single-season ERA. His 0.77 ERA is tops amongst all starters in MLB this season. He also leads all of MLB in ERA-plus (510), opponents average against (.116) and WHIP (0.657).
The Twins finished April with a 12-11 record. They currently sit in third place in the AL Central. If the Twins plan to compete in 2017, they need Santana to keep pitching this way.
Honorable Mention: Chris Sale, Dallas Keuchel and James Paxton
NL – Ivan Nova
The Pittsburgh Pirates' right-hander Ivan Nova earns the top spot for NL Cy Young for April. What stands out with Nova is his two complete games, providing the Pirates with a lot of innings early on.
Nova sports a 3-2 record with an ERA of 1.50. He, like Santana, isn't a strikeout pitcher. In his 36 innings, Nova has 22 strikeouts.
The Pirates sit in last place right now in the NL Central. Other players in Pittsburgh need to step up if the Pirates want to move up in the standings this season.
Honorable Mention: Mike Leake, Greg Holland and Clayton Kershaw
Apr 20, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (11) hits a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
April MVP
AL: Mike Trout
We've never heard Mike Trout and MVP in the same sentence before, right? Of course, we have. The reigning 2016 AL MVP takes the MVP honors for the first month of 2017.
Hard to argue with Trout's league-leading bWAR at 2.1. He's currently hitting .364/.443/.707 with seven home runs, 18 RBI and 18 runs. He's the main reason that the Los Angeles Angels are in second place in the AL West right now with a 14-13 record.
He currently leads the AL in hits with 36. And just like in years previous, Trout continues to show that he is the best player in baseball.
Honorable Mention: Aaron Judge, Avisail Garcia and Nelson Cruz
NL: Ryan Zimmerman
It's hard to not put Eric Thames in this spot after such an incredible month and the feel-good story that Thames has, but with that said, Zimmerman takes NL MVP honors for the month of April.
For a guy that seemed to reach the bottom of his career, Zimmerman is off to a hot start in 2017. He hit 15 home runs in 2016. He already has 11 (tied with Thames for the MLB lead) in the month of April. Zimmerman played a big part in the Washington Nationals offense-heavy start in 2017.
Zimmerman currently leads all of baseball in hits (37), RBI (29), batting average (.420), slugging percentage (.886) and OPS (1.345).
The Nationals' offense looks unstoppable with the way Zimmerman is producing so far this season. And even though Thames went on a tear in April, Zimmerman gets the nod.
Honorable Mention: Eric Thames, Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman
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