MLB releases April's National League Pitcher, Hitter, and Rookie of the Month awards
The time has come for the MLB to give out its first monthly awards for the 2022 season. Players are still settling into their roles and getting used to playing regular season baseball after an extended period of hiatus. In this list posted by columnist Bob Nightengale courtesy of the league, we take a look at the players who have established themselves at the onset of the season.
AL and NL Hitters, Pitchers and Rookies of the Month https://t.co/obXkbgEUTE
"AL and NL Hitters, Pitchers and Rookies of the Month" - @ Bob Nightengale
As we've previously done with the American League side of things, it is now time to list the awardees for the National League in the month of April.
MLB National League player awardees for the Month of April
The five-time Platinum Glove award winner and six-time All-Star Nolan Arenado took the spoils as the National League Player of the Month for April. Arenado went berserk —no pun intended— batting .375 with a National League-leading OPS of 1.125. He also blasted five homers and 17 RBIs with 12 XBH, or extra-base hits, just to sweeten the stat line. He was tied for second-most RBIs, third in batting average, and tied for fourth-most homers in the NL for the month.
Getting the reign as Pitcher of the Month for the National League is the Miami Marlins' Pablo Lopez. He had a 3-0 card with a stunning 0.39 ERA and 23 Ks. He led all major league pitchers in ERA during the month of April (obviously), and the only run he surrendered was during his first start against the San Francisco Giants.
Japanese rookie Seiya Suzuki took home Rookie of the Month after a mesmerizing display to kick off his MLB career. He batted .279/.405/.529 with four homers, 14 RBIs and 14 walks. The Chicago Cubs outfielder also boasted an OPS of .934 and had nine extra-base hits to stuff the stat sheet.
Congratulations to Seiya Suzuki on being named National League Rookie of the Month!
鈴木誠也選手ナショナル・リーグ月間新人賞獲得おめでとうございます！ https://t.co/AZ9luBtPqB
"Congratulations to Seiya Suzuki on being named National League Rookie of the Month! 鈴木誠也選手ナショナル・リーグ月間新人賞獲得おめでとうございます"！- @ Chicago Cubs
Finally, the Reliever of the Month was awarded to three-time National League Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award winner Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers. He made a perfect ten saves out of ten opportunities and fanned 15 batters on his way to doing so. Hader only allowed two base hits and didn't surrender a run in 9.1 innings of work. He is now tied with John Axford with 106 saves, the second most in Brewers history.
These players have set themselves apart early on in the season, but there may not be conclusive evidence that they will be the ones to continue dominating. Nonetheless, their statlines are amazing feats and if they can maintain their consistency, they will surely be the frontrunners for the year-end MLB awards come fall.