American League Players of the Month: June 2025

June Stats: 118 PA, 11 HR, 22 R, 27 RBI, .300/.398/.690, 3 SB, 195 wRC+, 1.9 fWAR

If there’s one major storyline to take away from the American League this season, it’s been Cal Raleigh’s sheer dominance at the plate. He has a chance to set the single-season record for homers by a catcher, and his dominant June helped further his chances to do so.

During June’s contests, Raleigh raked, posting the highest fWAR by any American League hitter, while also tying for the most homers in June as well. He also set a new record for the most homers hit by a catcher prior to the All-Star Game in June.

Raleigh has a real shot to win the AL MVP if he keeps this up, and June showed why this is the case.

Just Missed: Jo Adell, LAA

June Stats: 105 PA, 11 HR, 20 R, 19 RBI, .293/.375/.663, 2 SB, 188 wRC+, 1.3 fWAR

Although he won’t be named on our podium for American League Hitters of the Month, Jo Adell continued his breakout campaign in a big way in June. Due to this, he does deserve to be recognized in some way.

Adell slugged 11 homers last month, tying only Cal Raleigh for the top spot. He also routinely ranked near the top of the offensive leaderboards for June in the process. While he won’t be taking home a medal, he’ll be a player worth keeping an eye on for July’s monthly awards.

American League Pitchers of the Month

Gold Medal Pitcher of the Month: Six-Way Tie

As I briefly mentioned in the introduction, American League pitchers threw incredibly well in June, making it very difficult to rank these arms for June. After much consideration, we decided a six-way tie was the best way to solve this issue. The tie is between Jacob deGrom, Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, Max Fried, Tarik Skubal, and Seth Lugo.

Let’s take a closer look at these six pitchers.

Jacob deGrom, TEX

June Stats: 4-0 (5 GS), 1.41 ERA, 32.0 IP, 32 K, 6 BB, 1.4 fWAR

After being stuck on the injured list for the last few seasons, we’re finally seeing a healthy Jacob deGrom once again, and it’s been an incredible journey. In June, deGrom was dominant, as he tied Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet for the most fWAR by an American League starter.

He also did this while keeping his ERA right around 1.40, an impressive feat. Although he’s now 37 years old, deGrom is still pitching like he did years ago.

Hunter Brown, HOU

June Stats: 1-0 (5 GS), 1.19 ERA, 30.1 IP, 39 K, 12 BB, 0.8 fWAR

Ahead of the 2025 season, many people expected the American League Cy Young Award to be Tarik Skubal’s award to lose. However, a few arms have made it quite an interesting race, and Hunter Brown is one of these names.

During June, Brown recorded the lowest ERA by an American League starter, showing his dominance. He also tied a few other pitchers for third on the strikeout leaderboard as well. For this performance, he was one of our six players tied for the Gold Medal Pitcher of the Month.

Framber Valdez, HOU

June Stats: 4-0 (5 GS), 1.74 ERA, 31.0 IP, 35 K, 15 BB, 1.0 fWAR

Hunter Brown wasn’t the only Astros starting pitcher to have a dominant month of June, as left-hander Framber Valdez dominated all month long. This is especially important for him, as this is his contract season.

Valdez posted the fourth-lowest ERA of any American League starter last month, while simultaneously being one of just five pitchers to 1.0 fWAR or more during June’s contests. He made it incredibly hard to choose against him for our Gold Medal, which eventually led to him being one of the six players tied for that honor.

Max Fried, NYY

June Stats: 3-1 (5 GS), 1.91 ERA, 33.0 IP, 34 K, 5 BB, 1.1 fWAR

When the New York Yankees lost Juan Soto in free agency, they decided to pivot to signing ace Max Fried to a long-term deal. This hasn’t just paid off, but it’s been one of the best moves of the offseason.

Fried reinforced his dominance during June’s contests, as he posted an ERA under two while walking just five batters across 33 innings, an impressive feat. Similarly to Valdez, he was one of the other four pitchers to record 1.0 fWAR or more during June’s games. Fried has been great this year, and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight for his dominance.

Tarik Skubal, DET

June Stats: 5-0 (5 GS), 1.89 ERA, 33.1 IP, 39 K, 7 BB, 1.2 fWAR

After winning the American League Cy Young Award last season, expectations have been high for Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal. He hasn’t just lived up to these expectations, but he’s surpassed them in every way.

Skubal pitched great in June, being the only American League pitcher to win all five of his starts. He also pitched to an ERA under 1.90, while tying for third place on the strikeout leaderboard. Skubal’s last start of the month was a seven-inning, 13-strikeout gem, and it helped land him on this list.

Seth Lugo, KCR

June Stats: 2-0 (5 GS), 1.26 ERA, 28.2 IP, 31 K, 11 BB, 0.8 fWAR

The Kansas City Royals came into the 2025 season searching to replicate their dominance from 2024 and sneak into a Wild Card Game once again. They’ve disappointed in that avenue, as they currently sit at just 39-46. Despite the team’s record, Seth Lugo has been quite the opposite of disappointing, as he’s been very good so far this year.

Lugo had a fantastic month of June, as he ranked second among American League starters in ERA, placing himself between Hunter Brown and Jacob deGrom in the process. He also racked up an impressive 0.8 fWAR, landing him as one of our six players tied for the Gold Medal this month.