MVP favorites headline monthly awards for June

July is underway, but before we move on, it’s time to honor the top performers from last month.

Here are the Players of the Month presented by Chevrolet, Pitchers of the Month, Rookies of the Month and Relievers of the Month Award winners for June, as announced on MLB Network on Monday.

Shohei Ohtani, LAA, AL Player of the Month
Who else? Ohtani just finished up a month in which he hit .394 with 15 homers, 29 RBIs and a 1.444 OPS. The only players on record (since 1901) to have a higher OPS in a calendar month (min. 125 PAs) are Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (six times), Lou Gehrig (twice), Rogers Hornsby (twice) and Joe DiMaggio (once). The three-time All-Star, who also added a 3.26 ERA with 37 K’s over 30 1/3 innings on the mound, is now a three-time Player of the Month Award winner.

Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL, NL Player of the Month
For the second time this season and the third time in his career, Acuña is the NL Player of the Month. The superstar outfielder finished June with a .356/.429/.683 slash, nine homers, 22 RBIs, 26 runs and 14 steals over 25 games, helping the Braves go 21-4. With his dinger on June 30, Acuña became the first player with 20-plus homers and 35-plus steals before the All-Star break.

James Paxton, BOS, AL Pitcher of the Month
After making just six starts from 2020-22 combined while battling injuries, Paxton looks rejuvenated in 2023. The left-hander really hit his stride in June, delivering a dazzling 1.74 ERA with 34 strikeouts, six walks and 18 hits allowed over 31 innings. This is the second Pitcher of the Month Award for Paxton, who previously won AL honors in July 2017 as a member of the Mariners. He’s the first Red Sox pitcher to win one since Chris Sale in 2018.

Blake Snell, SD, NL Pitcher of the Month
Snell was a strikeout machine in June, tallying double-digit K’s in each of his final four starts and finishing the month with 53 K’s over 31 innings. The left-hander registered a 0.87 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP over five starts, holding opponents to a .124 batting average and .384 OPS along the way. Now a three-time Pitcher of the Month Award winner, Snell previously earned AL honors twice during his 2018 Cy Young Award season with the Rays. He’s the second straight Padres pitcher to be named NL Pitcher of the Month after Michael Wacha won the award at the end of May.

Gunnar Henderson, BAL, AL Rookie of the Month
After struggling over the first two months (.702 OPS), Henderson had himself a big June, producing a .320 average with six homers, 16 RBIs and a .994 OPS over 20 games. Henderson’s win snaps Josh Jung’s streak after the Rangers third baseman earned back-to-back Rookie of the Month Awards to start 2023.

Corbin Carroll, ARI, NL Rookie of the Month
Voted as one of the NL’s starting outfielders in the 2023 All-Star Game, Carroll has been outstanding for the D-backs all year long, but this is actually his first Rookie of the Month Award, coming after he hit .291 with eight homers, 22 RBIs, 25 runs, eight steals and a .979 OPS in June.

Félix Bautista, BAL, AL Reliever of the Month
Bautista continued his dominance in June, recording seven saves and allowing only one run in 10 2/3 innings (0.84 ERA) while collecting 22 K’s with no walks. The 6-foot-8 righty has won two AL Reliever of the Month Awards this season.

Craig Kimbrel, PHI, NL Reliever of the Month
Kimbrel had a 5.85 ERA over the first two months of 2023, but he enjoyed a resurgence in June, recording a 0.69 ERA with 21 K’s and only six hits allowed in 13 innings. The 35-year-old last won Reliever of the Month honors way back in 2017, the first year the current iteration of the award was established.