American League Players of the Month: April 2025

Gold Medal Hitter of the Month: Aaron Judge, NYY

April Stats: 140 PA, 10 HR, 29 R, 32 RBI, .427/.521/.761, 3 SB, 262 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR

It may be a new year, but we’re seeing the same old MVP-caliber Aaron Judge, who’s run the American League for years now. Now, we could sit here and wax poetic about Judge all day, but the case for Judge as the AL’s best hitter is as open and shut as it gets.

He leads all of Major League Baseball in fWAR, wRC+, HR, RBI, AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS. Judge’s quest for a third MVP looks more intact than ever.

Silver Medal Hitter of the Month: Cedric Mullins, BAL

April Stats: 119 PA, 6 HR, 17 R, 20 RBI, .278/.412/.515, 5 SB, 173 wRC+, 1.4 fWAR

With such a crowded outfield and a lineup filled with young talent, Cedric Mullins was one of a few names in Baltimore with some trade buzz surrounding him in both the latter half of the 2024 season and into the offseason. But the veteran center fielder has responded in a huge way and has been a bright spot in what’s been a rough start to the season for the Orioles.

He’s slashing .278/.412/.515 with six home runs and 20 RBI in his first 119 plate appearances. His 173 wRC+ sits tied for 10th in all of baseball, while a .927 OPS has him just shy of the top 10, as he sits at 13th.

Bronze Medal Hitter of the Month: Tyler Soderstrom, ATH

April Stats: 129 PA, 9 HR, 20 R, 24 RBI, .284/.349/.560, 1 SB, 158 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR

What a story Tyler Soderstrom has been to start the season. After posting a respectable 114 wRC+ campaign in 2024, the Athletics’ young first baseman has looked otherworldly in April.

From a run production standpoint, he sits tied for fourth in MLB in home runs with nine, alongside household names like Mike Trout and Corbin Carroll, while he sits tied for seventh in RBI at 24, alongside names like Alex Bregman and Elly De La Cruz. He pairs that with a very impressive .284/.349/.560 slash line along with a 158 wRC+.

The future looks bright at first for the A’s with a guy like Soderstrom, as he’s been an integral reason why this team is above .500 after April, while they’re still supposedly in their rebuilding era.

Just Missed the Podium: Cal Raleigh, SEA

April Stats: 135 PA, 10 HR, 19 R, 18 RBI, .233/.341/.543, 4 SB, 155 wRC+, 1.4 fWAR

Just missing out here is Cal Raleigh, but that’s not to say it hasn’t been an incredible start to the 2025 season for the Mariners’ catcher. He’s looked every bit like the best catcher in baseball, as our Aram Leighton dubbed him earlier this week on Monday’s Just Baseball Show.

Raleigh sits tied for the MLB lead in HR alongside Judge and Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez with 10. He pairs that incredible pop with a 155 wRC+ and an .884 OPS, as he’s leading the offensive charge for this AL West-leading Mariners squad.

AL Pitchers of the Month

Gold Medal Pitcher of the Month: Hunter Brown, HOU

April stats: 4-1 (6 GS), 1.22 ERA, 37 IP, 40 K, 7 BB, 1.5 fWAR

Hunter Brown has been nothing short of spectacular to open the 2025 campaign, as he’s really coming into his own as a formidable force within this Astros rotation.

Brown leads the AL in pitcher fWAR this season at 1.5, which trails only Paul Skenes in the MLB race as a whole. While his 1.22 ERA sits third in the AL, he pairs that with an impressive 1.84 FIP, further justifying how strong his low-1.00s ERA actually is.

He rounds out his shimmering stat line with a 0.84 WHIP and .180 BAA, both of which sit top 10 in the majors amongst qualified starters.

Silver Medal Pitcher of the Month: Garrett Crochet, BOS

April stats: 3-2 (7 GS), 2.05 ERA, 44 IP, 50 K, 18 BB, 1.3 fWAR

The initial thought when Garrett Crochet was traded to Boston this offseason was that it was a match made in heaven. And through his first seven starts as a member of the Red Sox, he’s done everything he can to make that initial thought a reality.

Crochet’s 1.3 fWAR is tied for second in the AL, only trailing Brown. His 50 strikeouts rank him second in the AL and fifth across MLB, and he pairs all this with a 2.05 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 1.05 WHIP and .178 BAA.

Bronze Medal Pitcher of the Month: Andrés Muñoz, SEA

April stats: 1-0 (15 G), 0.00 ERA, 15 IP, 11 SV, 0.6 fWAR

Now we have our first and only reliever on this list, closer Andrés Muñoz, who’s been remarkable for the division-leading Mariners.

His 0.00 ERA makes him one of only eight qualified relievers to have not surrendered an earned run this season. His 11 saves lead all AL closers and trail only San Diego’s Robert Suarez for the league lead. He then holds incredible WHIP and BAA postings (0.73 and .104, respectively) and is striking out hitters at a very strong rate of 35.2%.

Just Missed the Podium: Max Fried, NYY

April stats: 5-0 (6 GS), 1.19 ERA, 37.2 IP, 33 K, 9 BB, 0.9 fWAR

Max Fried certainly made a strong case for this list, as he’s stepped up admirably in the absence of Gerrit Cole and leads this division-leading Yankees staff.

His 1.19 ERA sits second in the American League and third in all of baseball. Then his 1.04 WHIP and .207 BAA show just how well he’s kept hitters off balance.

A key reason he falls outside the top three is the large discrepancy between his ERA and FIP. While a 2.97 FIP is nothing to be ashamed of, it is a decent ways away from the 1.19 ERA he has, indicating luck has been something of a factor on Fried’s side through his first six starts. But that’s not to say it hasn’t been a strong beginning of the season for the southpaw.

Just Missed the Podium: Tyler Mahle, TEX

April stats: 3-0 (6 GS), 1.14 ERA, 31.2 IP, 26 K, 13 BB, 0.9 fWAR

Finally, we have Tyler Mahle, the AL leader in starter ERA at 1.14. Mahle has come a long way from where he was this time last year, when he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

His phenomenal ERA, along with a sub-1.00 WHIP and .165 BAA, is a major factor as to why the Rangers’ rotation leads the American League in fWAR, ERA, FIP and WHIP.

Like Fried though, that luck element played a bit of a role, as there’s a noticeable gap between his 1.14 ERA and his 2.67 FIP.