00:00Hey Tigers fans, believe it or not, we're already more than 20% of the way through the
00:052026 season, and the calendar has flipped to May, that means it's time to look back
00:10at the monthly award winners from March and April, this first batch of honorees features
00:14a 34-year-old journeyman infielder, a breakout ace, a resurgent slugger, and Shohei Otani,
00:21though not for his bat, let's run through all the names because one of them is wearing
00:25the Old English DAL Player of the Month.
00:28Jordan
00:30Alvarez
00:31Astros
00:32After playing in only 48 games during an injury-marred 2025 season, a healthy Alvarez wasted no time
00:41reminding everyone that he remains one of the most dangerous hitters on the planet.
00:45The left-handed slugger closed out April with a .356-462-737 slash line, a major league best 1.199
00:56OPS, and more walks, 21 than strikeouts, 14, only Aaron Judge and Munitaka Murakami matched Alvarez's 12 home runs for
01:05the month.
01:05This is the third player of the month award of his career, and his first since September-October of 2023,
01:12NL Player of the Month, Ildemaro Vargas, D-backs.
01:15In a field full of household names and superstars, Vargas stands out in the best way.
01:21He collected a pair of hits in his first game of the season on March 30th against the Tigers, and
01:26he simply hasn't slowed down since.
01:28Vargas entered May with a major league best on .378 batting average, serving as a key cog in the heart
01:34of Arizona's lineup and recording a hit in each of his first 24 games this season.
01:38His 27-game hitting streak, which dated back to last year, came to an end on Saturday.
01:43The 34-year-old entered 2026 with a career .646 OPS.
01:49Across parts of nine big league seasons, Vargas is the first Diamondback to win NL Player of the Month since
01:56Corbin Carroll in August 2024, and the ninth in franchise history overall.
02:01AL Pitcher of the Month
02:03Jose Soriano, Angels
02:06Soriano has taken a legitimate star turn thanks to a revamped pitch mix and improved command, and the result has
02:12been a run of virtually unhittable outings.
02:15He leads all qualified pitchers with a 0.84 ERA, allowing just four runs through his first seven starts.
02:22The sinker-balling righty became the first pitcher since at least 1900, excluding openers, to surrender one total run or
02:29fewer in his first six starts of a season.
02:32Opponents have managed just a 163 batting average against him, the fifth lowest mark among qualified arms.
02:39Soriano is the first Angel to win AL Pitcher of the Month since Matt Shoemaker in August 2014, and only
02:45the fourth overall in club history.
02:47NL Pitcher of the Month
02:49Shohei Otani
02:50You know the drill by now. What can't Otani do?
02:54The two-way megastar is hoping to add an NL Cy Young award to his already jam-packed trophy case,
03:00and so far his return to being a full-time pitcher in 2026 could not be going better.
03:05Among all pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings this season, Otani's 0.62 ERA is the lowest. It's
03:12also the fifth-lowest ERA by a Dodger through his first five starts of a season.
03:16Since the earned run became an official National League statistic in 1912, he has allowed just four runs, two earned,
03:23across his first five starts.
03:24This is Otani's first career Pitcher of the Month win, though he has already taken home Player of the Month
03:30honors six times.
03:31AL Rookie of the Month, Kevin McGonigal, Tigers now, to the name Tigers fans have been waiting for.
03:37McGonigal crashed his way onto Detroit's opening-day roster as the club's starting shortstop, and he has thoroughly validated that
03:43aggressive decision.
03:44The 21-year-old began his career with a four-hit game, becoming just the 21st major leaguer since 1900
03:51to record a four-hit performance in his MLB debut.
03:54In April, McGonigal slashed .328-426-509 with a 935 OPS, blending elite bat-to-ball skills with plus power
04:04to emerge as Detroit's most productive hitter.
04:07He is the seventh Tiger ever to win Rookie of the Month, and the first since teammate Colt Keith did
04:12it in July of 2024.
04:14NL Rookie of the Month, Sal Stewart, Red Cincinnati, entered the season aiming to hit for more power, and Stewart
04:20has provided plenty of pop.
04:21He finished April with 15 extra base hits, including nine home runs and a 5.70 slugging percentage that led
04:28all qualified rookies.
04:30Alongside shortstop Eli Dela Cruz, the 22-year-old Stewart has helped anchor a Reds team that looks like a
04:36legitimate contender.
04:38Stewart is the ninth player in Reds history to win the award, and the first since teammate Spencer Steer, in
04:44May of 2023.
04:46AL Reliever of the Month, Louis Varland, Blue Jays' Toronto Swiss Army Knife, became a household name during the club's
04:53post-season run last October when he appeared in 15 of the Blue Jays'
05:00A.T.
05:03Playoff Games
05:04Varland has carried that success right into 2026 as the team's highest leverage reliever.
05:10In March and April, he pitched to a 0.56 ERA with 26 strikeouts over 15 innings, and his 43
05:16.3% strikeout rate, ranked second in the majors.
05:19Trailing only Mason Miller, Varland is the fourth Blue Jays' reliever to win the award, and the first since Jordan
05:26Romano, who claimed it twice in 2022.
05:30NL Reliever of the Month, Mason Miller, Padres
05:34At this point, it feels almost like a surprise when anyone makes contact against the Padres closer, Miller's 55.9
05:41% swing and miss rate and 53.7% strikeout rate are the highest in the majors among pitchers who
05:48have thrown at least 10 innings this season,
05:50And the gap isn't particularly close, even though his historic scoreless inning streak recently ended at 34.23 innings, dating
05:58back to August 2025.
06:00Miller still owns a mere 1.10 ERA across 16 outings, and, is already generating early Cy Young buzz, this
06:08is the 27-year-old's third career reliever of the month honor,
06:12and already his second since joining the Padres at last year's trade deadline.
06:16When you look at this list, it's impossible not to feel a jolt of excitement about Kevin McGonigal's start, so
06:23here's the question.
06:23Do you think the rookie shortstop can keep producing at this level and establish himself as a cornerstone for the
06:30Tigers all season long?
06:32I'd love to hear what you're seeing from him.
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