It’s the beginning of a new month, which means it’s time to award the two best players from each league in May with the Player of the Month awards. Today, Major League Baseball announced that Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers has won the National League Player of the Month.
Ohtani is as consistent as it gets when it comes to productivity with the bat, but he reached a different gear in the month of May.
Ohtaniâs Phenomenal Month Backed by the Stats
Shohei Ohtani had some impressive marks in May en route to this Player of the Month award. He hit 13 home runs, scored 27 runs, drove in 25 runs, and had an individual WAR of 1.6. The 1.6 WAR is as impressive as the rest of the stats because some MLB players struggle to reach that mark in a season. Ohtani was able to do it in one month playing baseball, and all he does is hit.
The 2024 MVP Ohtani looks to be on pace for another Most Valuable Player award, his third consecutive year winning the award, and fourth in the past five seasons. Add in the fact that Ohtani could take the mound at some point this season, his case may become undeniable. He would make a strong case for being one of the best baseball players of all time if he continues to win awards like this every year or month.
Ohtani is hitting .293 overall in 2025, leads MLB in runs scored with 64, and is tied for the most home runs with 23. He leads the National League in slugging percentage and has an OPS of over 1.000 for the third consecutive season. It comes as no surprise that he is taking home this NL Player of the Month award, and it would surprise nobody if he has an even better June.
So, Who Else Took Home Hardware?
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees took home the American League Player of the Month award, his second straight month being awarded as the best player in the AL. If there’s anyone that can rival the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Ohtani, it is Judge, who is hitting .391 into June, good for the best in baseball. Judge’s .485 is simply remarkable, and his 1.248 might even be more impressive. We are seeing two sluggers in Judge and Ohtani, who have numbers that can rival the legend, Barry Bonds. Judge hit .364 in May with 11 home runs and 18 runs batted in.
As for the pitching side of both leagues, the San Francisco Giants’ Robbie Ray took home NL Pitcher of the Month, and the Kansas City Royals’ Kris Bubic won the pitching award for the American League. Bubic posted a 0.56 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched. Ray had a 1.38 ERA in 39 innings and struck out 45 hitters.
The New York Mets’ Edwin Diaz took home NL Reliever of the Month, and the Minnesota Twins’ Jhoan Duran was named AL ROTM.
As for the rookies who performed the best in May, rookie catcher Drake Baldwin from the Atlanta Braves and Jacob Wilson of the Athletics took home the hardware. Congratulations to all players for their outstanding performance.
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