Trout earns second AL Player of the Month Award

Mike Trout is on top of the pile. Trout, the Angels' sensational young center fielder, was named the American League Player of the Month on Wednesday for the second time in his career.

Trout batted .361 (30-for-83) with 18 extra-base hits last month. He also scored 20 times and drove in 21 runs for the Halos. The 22-year-old had seven homers in June, and he led all qualifying AL players in on-base percentage (.471), slugging percentage (.759) and extra-base hits.

Trout also ranked second in walks (18) and third in homers and total bases (63) last month, and both his batting average and RBIs were among the top four players in the league. Trout had a grand slam last month, and he also went through a span in which he had three three-hit games in a four-game span.

Trout has been the runner-up in the race for the AL Most Valuable Player Award in each of the last two seasons, and he currently stands with the second-highest vote total among all AL players in All Star balloting. Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista leads Trout on the All-Star ballot.

The Angels' No. 2 hitter has been an All-Star twice in his first three seasons, and he won his only other AL Player of the Month Award in July 2012. Trout was a rookie that season, also winning the AL Rookie of the Month Award four times in 2012.

Other players receiving consideration for the AL Player of the Month Award include Houston second baseman Jose Altuve, who batted .411 last month, and Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones, who hit .348 with nine home runs. Chicago rookie Jose Abreu -- who batted .313 with 10 home runs -- also received votes, as did Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, as well as Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar of the Royals.