Here are MLB's 8 top performers from March/April

One down, five (and change) to go. With April comfortably in the rearview mirror, it's time to hand out the first round of monthly awards for the 2024 Major League Baseball season.

Here are the eight stars -- household names and new phenoms alike -- receiving honors for their performance across March and April, starting with the Players of the Month, presented by Chevrolet.

Gunnar Henderson, BAL, AL Player of the Month
After hitting 28 home runs over 150 games in his 2023 AL Rookie of the Year campaign, Henderson had 10 in the first month of 2024, tying Mike Trout for the most in Major League Baseball. He's paced the Orioles' relentless lineup with a .291/.356/.624 slash line from the leadoff spot, and, in another case of making his great introduction look like child's play, he has already stolen six bases after finishing last season with 10.

Mookie Betts, LAD, NL Player of the Month
A man who needs no introduction. Betts took the first plate appearance of the 2024 regular season all the way back on March 20, which seems only appropriate now, given how he's been outpacing the rest of baseball. Among players with at least 100 plate appearances across March and April, he led in batting average (.368), on-base percentage (.477), OPS (1.101) and OPS+ (214). Then you can tack on 10 doubles, two triples and six home runs -- oh, and ten more walks (26) than he had strikeouts (16).

José Berríos, TOR, AL Pitcher of the Month
Given the early struggles of Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman, Berríos' work on the mound has been as important as it was impressive. Pitching to a 1.44 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP over an MLB-high 43 2/3 innings (seven starts), Berríos' work to return to form after his tough 2022 season seems to still be paying off for the Blue Jays.

Ranger Suárez, PHI, NL Pitcher of the Month
Suárez has, once again, managed to overshadow the bona fide aces he shares a rotation with. Suárez's microscopic 0.63 WHIP in his first six starts led all qualifiers last month; his 1.32 ERA over 41 innings of work ranked second. The 28-year-old has also already recorded a shutout -- his first since 2021 -- a 112-pitch effort against the Rockies on April 16.

Colton Cowser, BAL, AL Rookie of the Month
Cowser stole the show in Spring Training and rode that momentum into an excellent opening salvo in the regular season. The 24-year-old hit .304 with six home runs across April and put up a robust 1.004 OPS, the highest on the Orioles.

Shota Imanaga, CHC, NL Rookie of the Month
Taking your game overseas can't possibly be as easy as Imanaga makes it look. He was undefeated in April, going 4-0 while leading all qualifying pitchers with an 0.98 ERA (further lowered to 0.78 by his masterful May 1 outing against the Mets). Opposing hitters getting their first look at the veteran left-hander hit a measly .181/.204/.257 and drew just three walks against 28 strikeouts.

Mason Miller, OAK, AL Reliever of the Month
Baseball has a new premier flamethrower, and he's taken up residence in Oakland. The A's bullpen has been a pleasant surprise in the early going -- they had the second-lowest ERA in MLB through April 30 -- and Miller played a huge role in their collective breakout. If his conventional stats -- he had a 1.35 ERA in April and struck out 28 of the 51 batters he faced over 13 1/3 IP -- aren't impressive enough, he also threw 94 pitches at 100+ mph, by far the most in baseball.

Ryan Helsley, STL, NL Reliever of the Month
Helsley missed about half of the 2023 season with a right forearm strain, but he's gotten right back at it in 2024. The 29-year-old put in a lot of work for the Cards in April -- his 16 appearances were tied for the most in baseball, as were his 10 saves. Those were accompanied by a sparkling 1.69 ERA and 9.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio (19 strikeouts, two walks). Not to be outdone, he also returned with his characteristic high-octane fastball, which has averaged 99.3 mph this season.