Marlins, Red Sox and Yankees: 3 players who stood out in May

In the flash, the month of May has come and gone in the 2023 MLB season.

There were plenty of surprises and disappointments with both individual players and teams. The Oakland A’s are on pace for MLB futility with a 100-plus loss season, while the Tampa Bay Rays are still playing the best baseball in the entire league.

There is a lot of in-between after the best and worst teams in MLB, but there were some players who had good months that were key to their teams. The season passed the quarter mark in terms of games played for each team, and things are starting to settle out.

Ronald Acuna, Jr. has taken the early lead for National League MVP, while in the American League, Aaron Judge is once again making a strong case. There were other performances in the month that raised some eyebrows from some players you expect it from and some you don’t. In most cases, they were performances that were needed to help their team in the standings and keep them relevant in the standings as things are about to get cranked up with Memorial Day over with the unofficial start to summer upon us.

As the calendar turns to June and things start to pick up, here are three players who had a strong month in May and stood out. One of these is not a surprise, while the other two are something that not many people saw coming.

Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox

This is a big season for not only Chris Sale, but also the Boston Red Sox after an offseason that saw more impactful subtractions than additions. With Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha leaving, a big bounce-back season was needed from the lanky left-hander to help stabilize the top of the rotation.

April was a tough month for the veteran as he struggled with his control and command, but once the calendar turned to May, he suddenly became the pitcher Boston was hoping he could be and he delivered each time he took the ball.

In six starts in April, he went 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 29.1 innings. He allowed 22 earned runs, six home runs, and walked 10 batters. In May, however, Sale was on top of his game with control and command of his pitches. He only had four starts, but in 26 innings, his ERA was 2.42, he allowed just seven runs and only walked four batters. He had 30 strikeouts, including 10 in his first start of the month against the Philadelphia Phillies, before striking out nine against the St. Louis Cardinals and eight against the San Diego Padres.

Corey Kluber, who got the Opening Day start against the Baltimore Orioles, has struggled big time and got sent to the bullpen after his start against the Padres, and James Paxton has returned and been better than expected in his first few starts. If Sale can carry over his May into June, that would be a big lift for the Red Sox.

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

If you think Soler had a month to remember, Aaron Judge also had a strong May and is a big reason why the New York Yankees are in the middle of the American League East standings. After setting the single-season home run record in 2022 with 62, he started off this season slow with five home runs and 12 RBI in April. He made up for lost time in May.

Judge more than doubled his homers with 11, he drove in 24 runs while showing patience at the plate and walking 17 times for the Yankees. He had three two-home run games, with his biggest moment happening in a mid-month series aaginst the Toronto Blue Jays north of the border. In the series opener, he had two home runs in a 7-4 win, and following the game, all the talk was about the Blue Jays broadcast talking about Judge’s wandering eye before pitches. He followed up the next night with another home run in a 6-3 Yankees victory.

He closed the month aaginst the Seattle Mariners with his third two-home run game in a 10-4 win on Memorial Day, before following it up with another home run a night later in a 10-2 victory. It was another ho-hum night for the Yankees slugger who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. For the month, Judge slashed .342/.474/.882.

All three players had a month that was needed for them and their teams. Getting Sale to be consistent is going to be key for Boston, Soler has solidified the middle of the Marlins order and you knew sooner or later Judge would find his swing after last season for the Yankees. Can they continue it into June? Time will tell.