Kolten Wong of the St. Louis Cardinals voted National League Rookie of the Month for May

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong has been voted the National League Rookie of the Month for May.

In 13 May contests, Wong hit .333 (16-for-48), which was the highest among N.L. rookies with 40-or-more plate appearances during the month. The 22nd overall selection in the 2011 MLB Draft out of the University of Hawaii at Manoa ranked second among N.L. rookies in doubles (4) and stolen bases (4), third in hits, tied for third in RBI (6) and runs scored (7) and sixth in on-base percentage (.418). Wong set a career high with four hits on May 28th, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and his first career triple in a 7-4 loss to the New York Yankees. The native of Hilo, Hawaii hit safely in eight consecutive games following his May 14th recall from Triple-A Memphis (PCL), batting .364 (12-for-33) with five RBI and three doubles in that span. Wong earned the promotion after hitting .344 (22-for-64) with two home runs and 10 RBI in 15 games with Memphis. Kolten made the Cardinals Opening Day roster for the first time this year, but was optioned on April 27th. In his first appearance after the recall, he made an immediate impact in the Cardinals lineup, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in a 5-2 win over Atlanta on May 16th. He also collected a pair of hits in the May 17th matchup between the two clubs, and swiped another bag while scoring twice en route to a 4-1 victory. This is his first career monthly honor, and he becomes the first Cardinal to be voted Rookie of the Month since infielder Brian Barden, who won for April 2009.

Other rookies receiving votes included Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton (.260, 9 R, 20 H, 2 3B, 9 SB); Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Tony Sanchez (.255, 3 R, 12 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI); pitcher Chase Anderson (1-0, 0.79 ERA, 12 SO, 11.1 IP) of the Arizona Diamondbacks; reliever Aaron Barrett (1-0, 0.79 ERA, 13 SO, 11.1 IP) of the Washington Nationals; starter Jacob deGrom (0-2, 2.42 ERA, 25 SO, 26.0 IP) and reliever Jeurys Familia (0-0, 1.93 ERA, 19 SO, 18.2 IP) of the New York Mets; pitcher David Hale (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 18.2 IP) of the Atlanta Braves; relievers Neil Ramirez (0-1, 0.93 ERA, 16 SO, 9.2 IP) and Brian Schlitter (2-1, 1.23 ERA, 10 SO, 14.2 IP) of the Chicago Cubs; and Milwaukee Brewers reliever Rob Wooten (1-1, 0.71 ERA, 10 SO, 12.2 IP).

The National League Rookie of the Month for May, Kolten Wong, will receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, to commemorate his performance.