Here are MLB's top performers from September
The regular season has wrapped up, but before we dive headfirst into the playoffs, here's who finished their 2024 campaigns the strongest.
MLB announced its monthly awards for September on Tuesday. These are the winners, starting with the Players of the Month presented by Chevrolet.
AL Player of the Month: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
Langford finished off his rookie season with a bang. The 22-year-old batted .300 with a .610 slugging percentage and .996 OPS in September, with eight home runs, seven stolen bases and 20 RBIs. Langford's eight homers in September led the American League, and his OPS ranked second in the AL behind Aaron Judge. The only player who both hit more homers and stole more bases than Langford in September was Shohei Ohtani.
NL Player of the Month: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Speaking of Ohtani … who else could be the NL Player of the Month? Ohtani made baseball history in September by becoming the first MLB player ever to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. The Dodgers superstar belted 10 homers and racked up 16 steals in September alone to finish the season with 54 home runs (winning the NL home run crown) and 59 stolen bases.
AL Pitcher of the Month: Corbin Burnes, Orioles
Burnes helped pitch the Orioles into the playoffs with a lights-out final month, posting a 1.20 ERA over his five starts with 31 strikeouts in 30 innings. Burnes didn't allow more than two runs in any start, including a pair of scoreless gems to twice beat the Tigers, one of the O's fellow Wild Card teams. Burnes' September ERA ranked second among AL qualifiers behind only Royals ace Cole Ragans (1.08). They'll face off against each other in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.
NL Pitcher of the Month: Nick Martinez, Reds
Martinez went 4-1 with a 0.83 ERA and 30 strikeouts in September, a brilliant ending to his season for Cincinnati. The right-hander held his opponent to zero or one run in four of his five starts, and he didn't allow more than one earned run in any start.
AL Rookie of the Month: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
Langford is the AL Player of the Month, so it's only natural that he's the Rookie of the Month, too. Langford finished the 2024 season with 16 home runs and 19 stolen bases, making him one of only three rookies with more than 15 of each, along with the Padres' Jackson Merrill (24 homers, 16 steals) and the Brewers' Jackson Chourio (21 homers, 22 steals).
NL Rookie of the Month: Paul Skenes, Pirates
Skenes was as overpowering as ever down the stretch, going 3-1 with a 0.75 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 24 innings over his final five starts of his rookie season. Skenes' September ERA was second-best among all pitchers who threw 20-plus innings -- not just rookies -- and he capped off his rookie season by striking out both Judge and Juan Soto in his final outing at Yankee Stadium.
AL Reliever of the Month: Emmanuel Clase, Guardians
Clase went a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities in September to finish the season with an American League-leading 47 saves -- the third consecutive season Clase has led the league in saves. He didn't allow a single run in all of September, lowering his 2024 ERA to a ridiculous 0.61, one of the best reliever seasons of all time.
NL Reliever of the Month: Ryan Helsley, Cardinals
The only pitcher to record more saves than Clase in 2024 was Helsley, who led the Majors with 49. Helsley recorded seven of those saves in September, allowing only zero earned runs all month and only one unearned run. He also racked up 15 strikeouts in his 8 2/3 innings, striking out close to two batters per inning.