Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has been voted American League Rookie of the Month for June. Abreu batted .313 (31-for-99) with six doubles, 10 homers, 22 RBI, 15 runs scored in 25 games to claim his second Rookie of the Month Award this season, also winning in April. He is the first White Sox two-time winner of the honor since its inception before the 2001 season. His 10 home runs led all Major League hitters, and among rookie league leaders Abreu led in homers, RBI, slugging percentage (.677), extrabase hits (16) and total bases (67), tied for first in intentional walks (3), tied for second in runs scored, third in at-bats, tied for third in hits, was fourth in batting average (among those with at least 81 plate appearances), tied for fourth in doubles and was fifth in on-base percentage (.355). After missing the second half of May due to an ankle injury, the 27-year-old homered with two RBI in his return to the lineup on June 2nd in Los Angeles, but his efforts were not enough as the Dodgers outlasted the White Sox, 5-2, at Dodger Stadium. A day later, Jose homered for the second straight game, going 2-for-4 with three RBI as Chicago defeated Los Angeles, 4-1. On June 9th, the Cuban native doubled, homered and drove in two to lead the Sox over the visiting Detroit Tigers, 6-5, at U.S. Cellular Field. On June 11th, the right-handed-hitting Abreu went 3-for-4 with a homer, two walks (one intentional) and scored a pair of runs as Chicago handed the Tigers an 8-2 loss. Jose played a key role in a pair of Chicago victories in the latter half of June, including a 7-6 triumph over the San Francisco Giants on the 18th that saw the slugger finish 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. On June 27th, he homered twice with two walks (one intentional) and reached on an error as the South Siders won 5-4 over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. His multi-homer performance gave him 25 on the season, and he became the quickest player in MLB history to reach 25 career home runs, doing so in just 69 career contests. Heading into play today, Abreu is batting .280 (78-for-279) with 17 doubles, one triple, 26 homers, 67 RBI and 45 runs scored in 71 games. He leads the A.L. in slugging percentage (.627) and fewest at-bats per homer (10.7), is tied for first with Baltimore's Nelson Cruz in homers and RBI, is third in extra-base hits (44) and is tied for fourth in total bases (175). In addition, Abreu is in the midst of a 16-game hitting streak dating back to June 15th, batting .344 (22-for-64) with three doubles, seven home runs, 16 RBI, 11 runs scored and six walks (two intentional) over the string. Other rookies receiving votes included Kevin Kiermaier (.316, 8 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 10 R) of the Tampa Bay Rays; Dellin Betances (1-0, 1.56 ERA, 13 G, 17.1 IP, 7 BB, 25 SO) and Masahiro Tanaka (3-2, 2.19 ERA, 2 CG, 37.0 IP, 6 BB, 39 SO) of the New York Yankees; Roenis Elias (4-2, 3.86 ERA, 1 SHO, 39.2 IP, 30 SO) of the Seattle Mariners; Nick Castellanos (.337, 10 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI) of the Detroit Tigers; and Yordano Ventura (3-2, 2.90 ERA, 31.0 IP, 17 SO) of the Kansas City Royals. In recognition of his American League Rookie of the Month Award, Jose Abreu will receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, for his accomplishment. |
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