Acuña, Buxton named April's top players

Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. (National League) and Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (American League) were named 2021's first Players of the Month presented by Chevrolet on Monday.

Acuña hit .341/.443/.705 with eight home runs, three stolen bases, 18 RBIs and 25 runs scored in 24 games over the first month of the season. He scored 20 runs in the Braves' first 15 games, the most in franchise history and the most by anyone through 15 games since Alex Rodriguez had 20 runs scored for the Yankees in 2007, when he went on to win the AL Most Valuable Player Award.

The 23-year-old is a Player of the Month for the first time in his career, and he's the second straight Braves player to take home the award. Fellow Atlanta star Freddie Freeman was the final NL Player of the Month Award winner of the 2020 season, winning in September.

Buxton batted .426/.466/.897 with eight homers, three steals, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored in 18 games in April. The 27-year-old set Twins franchise records for March and April in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS (1.363).

Buxton is also a first-time Player of the Month Award winner and is Minnesota's first winner since Delmon Young in July 2010.

"We’ve been watching this every day and it’s been spectacular," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of his star outfielder. "Buck puts a lot into everything he does. Not just the work he puts in, but the passion he puts into the game and into his career. To see a guy get rewarded for that, it’s very rewarding for all of us too. It’s a special thing."

Reds outfielder Jesse Winker and Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant also received votes for NL Player of the Month. Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and outfielder Mike Trout, Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez and White Sox DH Yermín Mercedes (the AL Rookie of the Month) also received votes for AL Player of the Month.