Ohtani, Votto named Players of the Month
For the second consecutive month, two-way All-Star Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels has been named the American League Player of the Month presented by Chevrolet for July, and first baseman Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds has been voted the National League Player of the Month presented by Chevrolet for July. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.
Ohtani was awarded his second straight AL Player of the Month Award and is the first Angels player to earn consecutive Player of the Month awards since the award was introduced to the AL in 1974. He is the first Major Leaguer to accomplish the feat since Chase Headley did so for the San Diego Padres in August and September 2012. Votto claimed his first career NL Player of the Month Award and is Cincinnati’s first winner since his teammate Aristides Aquino in August 2019.
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (@shoheiohtani)
• Batted .282 (24-for-87) with 17 runs scored, six doubles, nine home runs, 19 RBI, four stolen bases, 16 walks and a .671 slugging percentage over 23 games played.
• His stolen base as a starting pitcher on July 26th marked the first by an Angels pitcher since Ismael Valdez in June 2001.
• Homered in consecutive games from July 7th-9th and July 27th-28th during his award-winning month, and has now clubbed homers in consecutive games six times this season.
• Stole his 15th base of the season on Thursday, becoming the first player in MLB history to record
at least 37 home runs and 15 stolen bases before the end of July.
• Became the fifth player in Club history to amass at least 35 homers and 15 stolen bases in a single season, joining Mike Trout (2014, 18), Bobby Bonds (1977), Don Baylor (1979) and Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero (2004).
• Was named the winning pitcher at the 91st Midsummer Classic at Coors Field in Denver, CO. Became the first player in Major League history to be selected to the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and position player.
Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
• Posted a slash line of .319/.440/.734 with 18 runs scored, 30 hits, four doubles, 11 home runs, 25 RBI and 19 walks across 26 games.
• Homered in a Club-record seven consecutive games from July 24th-30th, totaling nine round-trippers during the torrid stretch. He became the eighth player in Major League history to homer in seven straight games and the first since Kendrys Morales in August 2018.
• Became the second player in Baseball history to notch at least nine home runs, 15 RBI and six walks across any seven-game span, joining Mark McGwire (1998).
• Enters play today with a 2021 slash line of .276/.371/.556 following his outstanding month at the plate, raising it from .254/.332/.464 after June.
Others receiving votes for AL Player of the Month presented by Chevrolet included All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers (.310, 16 R, 27 H, 20 RBI) of the Boston Red Sox; outfielder Franmil Reyes (.309, 25 H, 9 HR, 22 RBI) of the Cleveland Indians; infielder Jorge Polanco (.327, 5 2B, 6 HR, 20 RBI) of the Minnesota Twins; Shohei’s teammate David Fletcher (.349, 37 H, 8 2B, 14 RBI); and AL Rookie of the Month Eric Haase (.265, 17 R, 9 HR, 29 RBI) of the Detroit Tigers.
Others receiving votes for NL Player of the Month presented by Chevrolet included All-Star outfielder Juan Soto (.356, 24 R, 32 H, 9 HR) of the Washington Nationals; All-Star third baseman Manny Machado (.360, 9 2B, 8 HR, 25 RBI) of the San Diego Padres; All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman (.375, 23 R, 36 H, 15 RBI) of the Atlanta Braves; outfielder Harrison Bader (.357, 30 H, 7 2B, 5 HR) of the St. Louis Cardinals; third baseman Austin Riley (.312, 6 2B, 9 HR, 25 RBI) of the Atlanta Braves; first baseman Pete Alonso (.250, 15 R, 10 HR, 22 RBI) of the New York Mets; and Votto’s teammate Kyle Farmer (.395, 15 R, 32 H, 13 XBH).
Chevy Community MVPs of the Month
Meet the dedicated people who’ve kept our communities moving forward over the last year. They’re the real MVPs, or as we call them, Community MVPs. Each month, as MLB recognizes National and American League players for their exceptional on-field performances, Chevy will spotlight a Community MVP who’s stood out for continuously putting others’ needs before their own.
Roe Kilatchko from Houston, TX
A Texas A&M nursing Grad and 11-year hospital veteran, Roe Kilatchko has spent the last year working in the Houston Covid-19 ICU. Since March 2020, she has been pulling 18-hour shifts while doing her best to stay healthy so she can continue to help on the front lines of the pandemic. Roe has seen more than she will ever talk about while in the ICU but has never lost her joy for life.
Eddie Wong from Tampa Bay, FL
As a social worker at Children’s Mercy, Mitch Beller spends his days helping families in the community. Through the pandemic, he continued to help by providing resources to families, educating kids about the importance of mental health, and helping parents execute virtual school plans (in addition to supporting his own family through tumultuous times, including the unexpected death of his mother-in-law). Mitch is a true MVP in everything he does.
For a full list of Chevy Community MVPs, please visit here.