Both Players of the Month in June are repeat winners

With July now underway, it’s time to look back at the players who made June their own.

Here are the standout performances in June, starting with the Players of the Month, presented by Chevrolet.

Aaron Judge, NYY, AL Player of the Month

As amazing a month as May was for Judge, his June was just as impressive. The Yankees slugger followed up a .361/.479/.918 slash line (1.397 OPS) in May with a .409/.514/.864 (1.378 OPS) performance in June, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 37 runs. Judge won his eighth career AL Player of the Month Award and has won back-to-back monthly honors for the first time in his career.

Bryce Harper, PHI, NL Player of the Month

It wasn’t just Judge: Harper also repeated as Player of the Month, winning the NL honor for the second straight time and the fourth time in his career. Harper’s June, in which he hit .374 with 10 doubles, seven homers and a 1.166 OPS, helped the Phillies hold onto MLB’s best record, though he went on the injured list at the end of the month. The 2015 and 2021 NL Most Valuable Player has a shot at his third MVP Award if he comes back healthy, but he’ll have plenty of competition.

Garrett Crochet, CWS, AL Pitcher of the Month

MLB’s strikeout leader followed a stellar May (0.93 ERA in five starts) with an outstanding June, pitching to a 1.91 ERA across six starts and striking out 56 hitters in just 37 2/3 innings. The White Sox left-hander had never started a game in the Minors or Majors before being named Chicago’s Opening Day starter, but Crochet has adjusted nicely to the role. On the season, Crochet has struck out 141 hitters across 101 1/3 innings and owns a 3.02 ERA.

Cristopher Sánchez, PHI, NL Pitcher of the Month

Sánchez is in the midst of his first full season starting for the Phillies, and what a year it’s been. He compiled 16 scoreless innings across his past two starts, including a three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts against the Marlins on Friday. Sánchez claimed his first Pitcher of the Month honor thanks to a 1.64 ERA in 33 innings in June, further cementing himself as part of a strong Phillies rotation that includes Ranger Suárez (April’s NL Pitcher of the Month), Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.

Wyatt Langford, TEX, AL Rookie of the Month

The ending to Langford’s scorching June couldn’t have gone much better. The Rangers rookie capped the month with MLB’s first cycle of 2024, crushing a three-run homer in the eighth inning Sunday night against the Orioles to complete the feat. It bumped Langford’s numbers in June up to .309/.368/.526, a nice bounce-back for the young outfielder after he struggled early before landing on the injured list on May 6 with a hamstring strain.

Jackson Merrill, SD, NL Rookie of the Month

Merrill hit for a solid .280 average during the first two months of his rookie campaign, but he took that to a new level in June while finding his power stroke. The Padres outfielder posted a .320 average with nine homers, 20 RBIs and a .996 OPS to win his first Rookie of the Month Award. Merrill, a converted shortstop, has been an above-average hitter, baserunner and defender in center field for the Padres, who couldn’t have asked for much more from him so far in 2024.

Carlos Estévez, LAA, AL Reliever of the Month

The hard-throwing Estévez was nearly unhittable in June, tossing 10 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts to hold down the Angels’ closer role. Estévez recorded eight saves and one win in his 10 outings, and he allowed only two hits all month -- one each in his eighth and 10th appearances of June. The 2023 All-Star, who entered Wednesday tied for fourth in the AL with 16 saves, has been an excellent addition to the Angels’ bullpen since signing with the club in December 2022.

Ryan Helsley, STL, NL Reliever of the Month

Pitching in 13 games in June and saving 12 of them? That might sound hard to do, but it’s nothing new for Helsley, who is up to an MLB-leading 31 saves on the year -- six more than any other reliever. Helsley had a 2.77 ERA in June, striking out 21 hitters across his 13 innings of work (including multiple K’s in eight of his 13 outings). Racking up saves at a prolific clip, Helsley has been a big contributor to the Cardinals’ success so far.