Here’s who took home the first Royals player and pitcher of the month awards for 2023
Vinnie Pasquantino picked up where he left off in winning monthly hardware.
Pasquantino was named the Royals’ player of the month for March/April, his second such award. He won it for last September, the final award for the 2022 season.
Relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman was named pitcher of the month.
Pasquantino slashed .279/.375/.500 (29-for-104) through the end of April. The .375 on-base percentage ranked ninth in the American League. At the end of the month, he led the Royals with 29 hits and five home runs. Pasquantino had 15 walks and struck out 16 times.
In 11 appearances, Chapman led the Royals with a 1,74 ERA and struck out 19 batters in 10 1/3 innings, leading the AL with 16.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
On April 4, Chapman threw a pitch clocked at 103.5 mph, matching the fastest pitch by a Royals player since the data became available in 2008. Kelvin Herrera was clocked at the same speed in 2012.
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 1:37 PM.