Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins named the Budweiser Presents National League Player of the Month for May

Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has been voted the Budweiser Presents National League Player of the Month for May. Budweiser, the official beer sponsor of Major League Baseball and sponsor for 23 of 30 MLB clubs, is also the presenting sponsor of the American League Player of the Month Award. Stanton hit .343 (37-for-108) in 29 contests during May while leading the National League and tying for the Major League lead with 12 home runs. The 22-year-old’s 30 RBI and .769 slugging percentage ranked first in the N.L. while his 37 hits ranked second. Since 1920, when the RBI became an official statistic, only one player under the age of 23 compiled as many home runs and RBI with as high a batting average in a single month as Stanton did in May — Joe DiMaggio, who hit 15 homers with 43 RBI and a .430 batting average at the age of 22 in July 1937. Stanton also ranked among league leaders with 10 doubles, 23 runs scored and a .432 on-base percentage during the month as the Marlins won a single-month franchise-record 21 games (the Club’s previous best was 19 wins in August 1997). The second round selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft tied the franchise record for home runs in a month, matching Dan Uggla, who went deep 12 times in May 2008. Stanton’s 30 RBI fell just three short of Hanley Ramirez’s Club record of 33 in June 2009. During Miami’s three-game series with the N.L. East-rival Washington Nationals on May 28th-30th, Stanton went a combined 5-for-10 with two home runs and five RBI, leading the Marlins to a three-game sweep of the visiting Nationals. On May 13th, the California native came through in the clutch in the rubber match of a three-game set with the Mets at Marlins Park, launching his second career walk-off homer and third career grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to send the Marlins to an 8-4 victory. In seven games to start the month of May, Stanton hit .333 (9-for-27) with five home runs and eight RBI as the Marlins went a perfect 7-0 in that span.

This is the first career monthly award for Stanton, who becomes the first Marlin to win the award since Emilio Bonifacio took the honors in July 2011.

Other players receiving votes included San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera (.429, 51 H, 24 R, 3 HR, 17 RBI, .457 OBP); Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (.351, 40 H, 11 2B, 10 HR, 26 RBI, .728 SLG); outfielder Carlos Beltran (.326, 10 HR, 31 RBI, .707 SLG) of the St. Louis Cardinals; Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen (.360, 8 HR, 18 RBI, 5 SB, .709 SLG); and third baseman David Wright (.347, 13 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, .439 OBP) of the New York Mets.

The Budweiser Presents National League Player of the Month, Giancarlo Stanton, will receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, in recognition of his accomplishment.