Blue Jays’ Edwin Encarnacion named American League Player of the Month

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If there was ever an award handed out that need not be announced, it is the American League Player of the Month for the month of May. Yet, Major League Baseball felt fit to announce said award, and without any possible doubt,gave it to Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion on Tuesday, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

The 31-year-old got off to a slow start in April but made up for that in abundance in May. In 30 gamess, Encarnacion tied Mickey Mantle‘s 68-year-old American League record with 16 home runs in the month of May and became just the third player in the history of the game to record five multi-homer games in a single month. Coupled that with 33 RBI and a slash-line of .281/.369/.763 over the torrid stretch and there was no doubt that Edwin would hoist the honor on his parrot arm.

Encarnacion kept his pace up after just one game in June, when he went 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run, and 2 RBI on Sunday afternoon. Overall, the Blue Jays first baseman/DH is hitting .271/.359/.615 for the season with 19 home runs and 50 RBI.

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He continues to be one of the best values in the game, raking in a very cool $9 million in 2014 and is under contract for the next two seasons for $10 million apiece.

The stellar May was most appreciated by the Blue Jays and their fans, and helped vault the team into first place. Currently, the Blue Jays sit at 34-24 which is good enough for the second best record in the American League and a 4-game lead on the New York Yankees in the American League East.

Yasiel Puig was awarded the National League Player of the Month for May, where he slashed .398/.492/.731 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI.