May 2021 presents a number of great candidates for offensive player of the month. Nick Castellanos of the Reds posted the highest OBP for the month among players with 80 PA, .476. Much of that was based on his .409 BA, which led the majors by 41 points.
On the power side, Fernando Tatis Jr.of the Padres posted an .824 slugging percentage to lead the majors on nine home runs and five doubles. Tatis, however, missed a number of games, so he just qualifies for inclusion. Max Muncy of the Dodgers and Marcus Semien of the Blue Jays finished two and three at .714 and .702 respectively, each with over 100 PA. Semien led the majors in doubles with twelve, and added a triple and eight home runs. He was the only player to reach 20 extra-base hits in the month.
The home run lead goes to Adolis Garcia of the Rangers with eleven. He also drove in 27 runs, second only to Austin Meadows of the Rays with 28 RBI. Both have other holes in their offenses, however.
The choice in my mind comes down to Castellanos and Semien. Both hit for average, got on base, and hit for power. Catellanos, like Tatis, missed some games, so Semien’s month gets that edge. Marcus Semien wins the Baseball Musings Offensive Player of the Month for May 2021.
On the pitching side, two hurlers come in under one to top the ERA list at a 25 inning minimum. Kevin Gausman of the Giants posts a 0.73 ERA in 37 innings, while Rich Hill of the Rays comes in at a 0.78 ERA in 34 2/3 innings. Right behind them sits Brandon Woodruff of the Brewers with a 1.07 ERA in 42 innings. Hill walked 12 batters, giving him a weakness in the three true outcomes, while Gausman and Woodruff were strong in all three. Gausman allowed a home run rate of 0.24 per nine innings, second only to Spencer Turnbull of Detroit, who did not allow a home run in the month.
Once again, high strikeout rates did not lead to low ERAs. Of the nine pitchers who averaged at last 12.0 K per 9 IP for the month, only Max Scherzer, with a 1.83 ERA, had an average below three.
Gausman tied with Lance Lynn of the White Sox for best record at 5-0. Given Gausman’s ERA, innings, record, and across the board excellent three-true outcomes, Keven Gausman is the the Baseball Musings Pitcher of the Month for May 2021.