Monthly award winners for July announced
July has come and gone, but before August baseball truly heats up, it¡¯s time to honor last month¡¯s most outstanding players.
Here are the Players of the Month presented by Chevrolet, Pitchers of the Month, Rookies of the Month and Relievers of the Month Award winners for July, as announced on MLB Network on Wednesday.
Shohei Ohtani, LAA, AL Player of the Month
Ohtani, unsurprisingly, took home his second consecutive AL Player of the Month Award. His absurd 2023 season continued in July as he posted a .282 batting average and a 1.152 OPS with an AL-best nine home runs over 23 games alongside four starts in which he struck out 29 batters in 25 1/3 innings, pitching to a 4.97 ERA.
Cody Bellinger, CHC, NL Player of the Month
Bellinger earned his second career Player of the Month Award, having last received the honors in April 2019. The 28-year-old¡¯s comeback reached new heights in July as he notched a robust .400/.432/.690 slash line with a 1.122 OPS, eight home runs and 24 RBIs.
Tyler Glasnow, TB, AL Pitcher of the Month
Glasnow, who returned from a left oblique injury in late May, found his dominant pre-injury form last month. He made six starts in July, pitching to a 2.11 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings, holding opponents to an anemic .186 batting average. This is Glasnow¡¯s second career Pitcher of the Month Award, his first since April 2019.
Corbin Burnes, MIL, NL Pitcher of the Month
Despite having a Cy Young Award to his name, Burnes has never been named Pitcher of the Month -- until now. The right-hander stifled his competition in six July starts, posting a 1.85 ERA with a 0.72 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 39 innings -- opposing batters hit a collective .115 with a .169 slugging percentage, the lowest marks in baseball in July for pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched.
Triston Casas,?BOS, AL Rookie of the Month
After improving steadily through May and June, Casas took off last month, slashing .349/.442/.758 with a 1.199 OPS and seven home runs in 21 games to earn his first career AL Rookie of the Month honors.
Francisco Alvarez, NYM, NL Rookie of the Month
The Mets¡¯ first NL Rookie of the Month since Pete Alonso won the award three times in 2019, Alvarez hit eight home runs and tallied 16 RBIs in July while posting a team-leading .623 slugging percentage and .974 OPS.
Félix Bautista, BAL, AL Reliever of the Month
Of the four AL Reliever of the Month Awards handed out in 2023, Bautista has now taken home three, and with good reason. The Orioles¡¯ closer made 11 scoreless appearances (14 innings) in July, striking out 25 against four walks, with his saves (8) outnumbering his baserunners (7).
Devin Williams, MIL, NL Reliever of the Month
After hitting a few snags in June, Williams was brilliant in July, tallying 10 saves and posting a 1.54 ERA with 21 strikeouts and a 0.94 WHIP in 12 appearances (11.2 innings). This is Williams¡¯ third time taking home NL Reliever of the Month honors and his first since August 2021.