For a second consecutive month, two-way All-Star Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels has been named the American League Player of the Month presented by Chevrolet, while infielder/outfielder Cody Bellinger of the
Chicago Cubs has been voted the National League Player of the Month presented by Chevrolet for July.
Ohtani picked up his fourth career Player of the Month Award and is responsible for each of the last four monthly honors for an Angels player following his teammate Mike Trout’s win in September 2018. Only Trout has taken home more Player of the Month Awards (5) than Ohtani in Angels history. Ohtani became the first player in either league to win consecutive monthly awards since he accomplished the feat in June and July of his 2021 MVP-winning season. Bellinger earned his second career Player of the Month Award after previously winning in April of his 2019 MVP-winning campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Additionally, Bellinger became the first Cubs player to win the honor since Kris Bryant in August of his 2016 NL MVP-winning season on Chicago’s path to its first World Series title since 1908.
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (@shoheiohtani)
• The 29-year-old two-way superstar hit .282 (22-for-78) with nine home runs, 14 RBI, two doubles, two triples, 21 runs scored, one stolen base, a .705 slugging percentage and a .447 on-base percentage across 23 games at the plate. In addition, Ohtani went 2-2 on the mound with a 4.97 ERA across four starts, including his first career
complete-game shutout – a one hitter – on July 27th in a 6-0 win at Detroit. He tallied 29 strikeouts and 11 walks over 25.1 innings pitched.
• The three-time All-Star slugged a pair of homers on July 27th in the second game of a doubleheader against the Tigers after tossing the shutout in the opening contest.
• Ohtani homered in three consecutive games for the sixth time in his career on July 15th-16th vs. Houston and on July 17th against the visiting New York Yankees. His homer against New York was a game-tying solo shot in the seventh inning during a three-hit performance to help the Angels to a 4-3, 10-inning victory in which he came up a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
• The 2018 AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year also came up one hit shy of hitting for the cycle on July 8th at Dodger Stadium, going 3-for-4 with a home run, triple and three RBI in a 10-5 Freeway Series loss to the Dodgers.
• Ohtani, who was named the AL Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet earlier this week, closed out his award-winning month with hits in five consecutive contests, which included a trio of two-hit games.
• The Oshu, Japan native entered the month of August with 39 home runs through the first 107 team games of the season, marking the most in Angels history and beating out his own previous record of 37 home runs through 107 team games in 2021. With his next home run, Ohtani will join Troy Glaus (2000 and 2001) and Trout (2015, 2019 and 2022) as the only players in team history with multiple 40-homer campaigns.
Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs (@cody_bellinger)
• The 28-year-old hit .400 (40-for-100) with eight home runs, 24 RBI, five doubles, 21 runs scored, two stolen bases, a .690 slugging percentage and a .432 on-base percentage across 26 games played.
• The 2019 NL MVP became the seventh Cubs player (ninth instance), and the first since Rick Wilkins in June 1993, to hit at least .400 with eight-or-more home runs in a calendar month (courtesy of Elias).
• During July, the two-time All-Star led all Major League batters in hits, average and total bases (69), ranked third in RBI, was fifth in slugging and tied for fifth in home runs and OPS (1.122).
• The 2017 NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year recorded at least one RBI in five straight contests from July 21st-26th, helping the Cubs to victories in each game of what would become an eight-game winning streak.
• The Scottsdale, Arizona native tallied three hits, including a home run and a double, with two RBI in the 4-3 win on July 21st vs. St. Louis. The contest was one of four games during July in which Bellinger totaled at least three hits. He followed up the performance with a four-RBI contest on July 22nd and three-RBI showing on July 23rd.
• The fourth round selection in the 2013 MLB Draft hit two home runs in a losing effort on July 14th against the visiting Boston Red Sox, and he slugged a home run and drove home four runs the next day in a 10-4 victory over Boston.
Others receiving votes for AL Player of the Month presented by Chevrolet included outfielders Kyle Tucker (.359, 7 HR,
23 RBI, 8 2B, 19 R, 6 SB, .674 SLG, .445 OBP) and Chas McCormick (.351, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 4 2B, 2 3B, 16 R, 3 SB, .688 SLG, .440 OBP) of the Houston Astros; first baseman and AL Rookie of the Month for July Triston Casas (.348, 7 HR, 13 RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B, 16 R, .758 SLG, .442 OBP), outfielder Jarren Duran (.384, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 10 2B, 2 3B, 19 R, 8 SB, .658 SLG, .430 OBP) and infielder Justin Turner (.337, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 8 2B, 18 R, .596 SLG, .390 OBP) of the Red Sox; rookie infielder Edouard Julien (.369, 6 HR, 9 RBI, 3 2B, 1 3B, 15 R, 1 SB, .723 SLG, .461 OBP) of the Minnesota Twins; and first baseman/designated hitter Josh Naylor (.333, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 7 2B, 12 R, 1 SB., 570 SLG, .374 OBP) of the Cleveland Guardians.
Others receiving votes for NL Player of the Month presented by Chevrolet included third baseman Manny Machado
(.309, 11 HR, 29 RBI, 2 2B, 20 R, .681 SLG, .411 OBP) of the San Diego Padres and first baseman Matt Olson (.325, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 5 2B, 17 R, .675 SLG, .418 OBP) of the Atlanta Braves.