Josh Hamilton Tops May's 10 Best Performers at the Plate

May baseball is officially over, and June baseball is set to get underway.

May was great for baseball, as Jered Weaver's no-hitter, Josh Hamilton's four-home run game and Bryce Harper's first career home run top the list of May's most memorable moments.

Several players stepped up their games in May, while others were just as strong in May as they were in April.

Many players put themselves into the early season MVP rankings for their respective leagues with their hot months, and they'll all be watched closely as we enter the season's third month.

Without further ado, here are May's top offensive performers.

Honorable Mention: Paul Konerko

May Statistics

.379/.464/.611

6 Home Runs

18 RBI

27 Games (26 Games Started)

Paul Konerko is arguably the most underrated player in the game today, so his strong May went largely unnoticed by the baseball world.

This month saw him hit his 400th home run as a member of the White Sox, a nice moment for a man whose career has gone largely unappreciated.

He's currently hitting .381/.455/.642 this season, so he may not go unnoticed for much longer if he keeps up this insane level of production.

10. Carlos Ruiz

May Statistics

.418/.484/.696

5 Home Runs

21 RBI

25 Games (20 Games Started)

Coming into the season, many Philadelphia fans would have laughed at you if you said the Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz would be the team's offensive leader after the season's first two months.

Well, that's exactly what he is.

Ruiz's five homers this month is one shy of his entire 2011 season total, and his 21 RBI are more than half of what he totaled last season.

We'll see if Ruiz can keep up this absurd production for the remainder of the season, but it's clear that he's well on his way to his first career All-Star berth.

*Note: Ruiz only ranks 10th because he started just 20 games this month.

9. Mark Trumbo

May Statistics

.367/.407/.670

7 Home Runs

18 RBI

28 Games

Mark Trumbo wasn't even assured a starting spot at the beginning of this season, but he has since hit his way into an everyday role with the Angels.

If the aforementioned May statistics weren't enough, let me just add that he also hit 10 doubles, one triple and tallied 40 total hits.

His emergence and Albert Pujols' sudden awakening have been major reasons as to why the Angels are finally starting to perform up to their early season expectations.

Trumbo is well on his way to his first All-Star berth, and he could even put himself into the MVP discussion if he can keep up a similar pace.

8. Dayan Viciedo

May Statistics

.351/.376/.619

8 Home Runs

24 RBI

28 Games (26 Games Started)

Dayan Viciedo has always had a ton of potential but had yet to capitalize on any of it until this past month.

His eight home runs and 24 RBI both exceed his combined numbers from 2010 and 2011, and his .351 average helped to boost his season average closer to .300 after a putrid .206 to start the season.

He and Adam Dunn are major reasons why the White Sox are riding an eight-game winning streak and currently leading the AL Central by 1.5 games.

*Note: Because of Viciedo's three walks and 17 strikeouts in May, I did not deem him worthy of ranking higher.

7. Andrew McCutchen

May Statistics

.360/.424/.709

8 Home Runs

18 RBI

25 Games

Andrew McCutchen had a solid month of April, but it was one that didn't see him leave the yard for the Pirates.

He made sure he changed that in May, launching eight home runs and supporting the Pirates' decision to put him in the three-hole.

He also stole five bases, hit two triples and scored 16 runs.

McCutchen was an All-Star in 2011 and likely will be one again this season if he keeps up his great performance.

6. Andre Ethier

May Statistics

.366/.422/.594

4 Home Runs

20 RBI

27 Games

Andre Ethier may not have the flashiest numbers from May—although they are very, very respectable—but he managed to keep up his torrid RBI pace from the month of April.

His 44 RBI are tied with Carlos Gonzalez for second in the majors—13 behind Josh Hamilton's 57 RBI.

His 11 doubles this month put him in a four-way tie with Robinson Cano, Miguel Cabrera and Gonzalez for third in all of baseball.

He's also helped to lessen the loss of Matt Kemp for the Dodgers, as the team is still leading the NL West by a cool five games.

5. Melky Cabrera

May Statistics

.429/.457/.647

3 Home Runs

17 RBI

29 Games (28 Games Started)

**51 Hits**

Melky Cabrera was unstoppable this month, racking up 51 hits—three homers, three triples, six doubles and 39 singles.

He's beginning to prove that his breakout 2011 season with the Royals was not a fluke, and another strong month in June could put him into the NL MVP discussion.

Not only that but he could also increase his value even further as he enters free agency following the season.

Cabrera will likely be one of baseball's most watched players in June.

4. Carlos Gonzalez

May Statistics

.351/.417/.728

10 Home Runs

26 RBI

28 Games

Carlos Gonzalez has climbed up the ranks of this list over the past five games, cranking out six home runs and driving in 10 runs.

He also added in one triple and 11 doubles this month.

Gonzalez will likely have to shoulder the load for the Rockies now, as Troy Tulowitzki has been placed on the disabled list with a strained groin.

With 14 home runs and 44 RBI so far this season, Gonzalez is towards the top of the early season NL MVP rankings. His hot May is much of the reason why.

3. Carlos Beltran

May Statistics

.326/.410/.707

10 Home Runs

31 RBI

28 Games (22 Games Started)

Carlos Beltran continues to defy the odds, as nobody expected this type of production when he signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals this offseason.

Beltran has established himself as an MVP candidate, and his strong month of May only helped his case.

Injuries slowed him down for a few games this month, so we can only imagine how his statistics might have been altered if he started more than 22 games.

2. Giancarlo Stanton

May Statistics

.343/.432/.769

12 Home Runs

30 RBI

29 Games

After a terribly slow April that only saw him drive in nine runs with one home run, Giancarlo Stanton really turned it on in May.

His 12 home runs and 30 RBI broke team records for the month, and he was a big reason why the Marlins went 21-8 in May.

The spacious confines of Marlins Park no longer seem to be effecting Stanton, as seven of his 13 home runs this season have come at home.

Stanton was the best offensive performer in the National League this month, but only one man performed better than the young Marlins slugger.

1. Josh Hamilton

May Statistics

.344/.405/.781

12 Home Runs

32 RBI

25 Games (24 Games Started)

Did you honestly expect anyone else?

Josh Hamilton has a league-leading 57 RBI, and his 32 RBI this month ranked first in the majors.

He also tallied 33 hits, six of which went for doubles.

He was chasing Matt Kemp as the best player in baseball earlier in the month, but he has since surpassed him, given Kemp's nagging hamstring injury.

Look for Hamilton to keep it up in June.