September brought a familiar mix of breakout bats, dominant arms and late-season closing work, and the monthly honors across both leagues reflected it.
Carter Jensen took AL Player of the Month after finishing his rookie season with a bang for the Royals. The 23-year-old catcher, a young left-handed hitter, picked up the award for the second straight month in the footsteps of Jac Caglianone. In 21 September games, Jensen hit eight homers, piled up an MLB-best 19 extra-base hits, batted .338 and led all qualified hitters with a 1.194 OPS.
On the mound, Freddy Peralta was the AL Pitcher of the Month for the Rays after flipping his season around in Tampa Bay. Before the trade on Aug. 2, he had posted a 4.99 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in 22 starts with the Mets. In September, he looked nothing like that version of himself: three earned runs, one homer and 28 innings across five starts, with a 0.89 WHIP and a .162 batting average against.
The NL Pitcher of the Month went to Jared Jones of the Pirates, who became just the second Pittsburgh pitcher since the start of 2018 to win the award, joining Paul Skenes. Jones was overpowering all month, allowing no runs in four of his five starts and giving up more than one hit in only three outings. He walked just four batters in 29 innings, finished with a 0.59 WHIP and led National League pitchers with 40 strikeouts.
Cole Carrigg earned NL Rookie of the Month honors for the Rockies after a September surge that really took off in the back half of the month. He finished with a .327 average, six homers and a .911 OPS, but his strongest stretch came over his final 13 games, when he hit .389/.400/.704 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. That run included a pair of four-hit games.
In the bullpen, Cade Smith locked down AL Reliever of the Month for the Guardians. MLB’s co-leader in saves with 41 on the season, Smith ended his year with 13 scoreless innings in September, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out 21 and collecting six saves. His 41st and final save sealed a playoff spot for Cleveland two days before the Guardians won the AL Central.
Mason Montgomery was the NL Reliever of the Month for the Pirates, capping a run that stretched well beyond September. From July 27 through Sept. 25, the left-hander threw 24 2/3 scoreless innings with 37 strikeouts and seven walks. He did allow three runs in his penultimate appearance on Saturday, but outside of that outing he gave up only five hits and struck out 15 batters over 12 1/3 innings.
In Other News...
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Rays May Get The Yankees Matchup Fans Were Dreading Most
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If the Yankees get through, the Rays could be staring at a rotation headlined by Cam Schlittler, Max Fried and Gerrit Cole, a group that would make for a demanding early test. Aaron Judges injury status is another part of the equation to watch during the Wild Card round, since his availability could shape both the Yankees ceiling and the challenge Tampa Bay ultimately draws. [Read more 🡒]