Nathan Eovaldi, Josh Jung Pull Off Rare Monthly Feat for Texas Rangers

For just the second time in club history, the Texas Rangers had a Player/Pitcher of the Month and Rookie of the Month at the same time.

© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and third baseman Josh Jung have been named the American League Pitcher and Rookie of the Month for May, respectively, it was announced this evening by Major League Baseball.

It is the first such honor of Eovaldi’s career, while Jung has received the recognition in each of the season’s first two months (also April 2023).

In addition, it is just the second time in club history in which Texas teammates have won American League Pitcher or Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month honors in the same month, joining outfielder Josh Hamilton (Player of the Month) and right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish (Rookie of the Month) in April 2012.

This marks the second consecutive May for a Texas pitcher to receive the A.L.’s monthly pitching award, as Martín Pérez took the honor in May 2022. Prior to Pérez’s win, no Texas pitcher had been recognized since Matt Harrison in June 2012.

A Ranger has now earned an A.L. Pitcher of the Month Award in consecutive seasons, matching the club’s total over a 23-year span from 1999-2021. This marks just the seventh monthly honor for a Texas pitcher in the last 39 years beginning 1985, joining Bobby Witt (July 1990), Kenny Rogers (May 1995 and May 2005), Rick Helling (Sept. 1998), and Matt Harrison (June 2012).

Eovaldi posted a 4-0 record with a 0.96 ERA (4 ER/37.2 IP) over 5 games/starts for Texas last month, allowing one-or-zero runs in 4 of his 5 outings. His A.L.-leading 0.96 ERA ranked 2nd-best in MLB among pitchers with 25.0-or-more innings, and it was just the 7th time in Rangers history that a pitcher has recorded an ERA below 1.00 in a full month (minimum 30.0 innings). His 4 wins were tied for the Major League lead.

Eovaldi produced just the second month in Texas history for a pitcher to have a sub-1.00 ERA with a WHIP of 0.85-or-lower (min. 30.0 IP), joining Charlie Hough in September 1983. He ranked among American League leaders for the month in opponent OPS (2nd, .495), opponent slugging percentage (2nd, .264), innings (3rd, 37.2), WHIP (4th, 0.85), opponent batting average (5th, .178), opponent on-base percentage (6th, .232), and home runs allowed per 9 innings (6th, 0.48). He was one of 5 American League pitchers with a complete game in May.

Jung becomes the first A.L. rookie to win back-to-back monthly awards since SEA’s Julio Rodríguez in May and June of 2022. Additionally, he joins Nomar Mazara in 2016 (April and May) as just the second player in Rangers history to take consecutive A.L. Rookie of the Month honors. The last rookie to win the award in April and May was Miami’s Trevor Rogers in 2021, and Jung is the first to do it in the American League since New York-AL’s Aaron Judge in 2017.

The 25-year-old finished with a .318/.357/.561/.917 (34-107) slash line over 26 games in May, ranking among A.L. rookies for the month in slugging pct. (1st), total bases (1st, 60), extra-base hits (1st, 13), runs (1st, 22), hits (T1st), home runs (T1st, 6), RBI (T1st, 16), batting average (2nd), OPS (2nd), and times on base (3rd, 41).

The San Antonio native became just the 4th rookie in club history to record 60+ total bases in a month, joining Adolis García in May 2021 (69), Chris Davis in July 2008 (64), and Rubén Sierra in September/October 1986 (61). Jung finished the month with a 14-game hitting streak, which is the 2nd-longest active streak in the American League (20 G, Marcus Semien) and tied for the 4th-longest hit streak by a rookie in Rangers history.

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