Monthly award winners for April announced

Now that one full month of the regular season is in the books, it’s time to give eight players some deserved recognition for their performance.

Here are the winners of the Players of the Month, Pitchers of the Month, Rookies of the Month and Relievers of the Month for April, as announced on Wednesday on MLB Network. The Players of the Month honor is presented by Chevrolet.

Matt Chapman, TOR, AL Player of the Month
The Blue Jays’ third baseman led all hitters in OPS (1.152), wRC+ (219) and fWAR (2.0). Thanks to an adjustment in the batter’s box, Chapman recorded an MLB-best 67.1 hard-hit rate. Visual Story >

Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL, NL Player of the Month
Acuña posted a strong .352/.440/.546 slash line and was an absolute terror once he reached base, pacing all players with 13 stolen bases. No player had more multihit games during the season’s first month than Acuña’s 13. Visual Story >

Gerrit Cole, NYY, AL Pitcher of the Month
The Yankees’ ace led the Majors with 40 2/3 innings and allowed only five runs during that span. He won five of his six starts, which included a two-hit, 10-strikeout shutout of the Twins on April 16. Visual Story >

Clayton Kershaw, LAD, NL Pitcher of the Month
Kershaw wins Pitcher of the Month for the seventh time in his illustrious career and for the first time since 2016. His April included a 1.89 ERA, a .174 opponents’ batting average and his 200th career victory. Visual Story >

Josh Jung, TEX, AL Rookie of the Month
Jung led AL rookies in hits (27), home runs (six) and total bases (44), among other categories. He also drove in 21 runs, the most among all rookies. Visual Story >

James Outman, LAD, NL Rookie of the Month
Outman’s .973 OPS and 164 wRC+ were not only the best among rookies; they each ranked in the top 15 among all qualified hitters. Visual Story >

Félix Bautista, BAL, AL Reliever of the Month
Bautista was crucial to the Orioles’ hot start, securing all seven of his save chances. He struck out 25 batters in 13 2/3 innings and produced a robust 46.4% whiff rate. Visual Story >

Josh Hader, SD, NL Reliever of the Month
Hader was all but unhittable in the opening month. That’s evidenced by his .093 opponents’ batting average. He saved an MLB-best 10 games and allowed only one run in 13 innings. Visual Story >