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MLB: Award Winners for the Month of April

By Anthony Sosa

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
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 /
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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
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

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