Los Angeles Angels: Grading Offensive Player Performances for the Month of May

With a miserable 9-17 record in the month of April, the Angels couldn't wait to turn the page on the calender. Coaches and players alike looked to May as a clean slate—a chance to rebound from their disappointing start.

At the end of the first month of play, the Angels found themselves in fourth place in the AL West, a whopping eight games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers. 

This month, the team has been better, primarily due to a surging offense.

The Angels' record in May is a respectable 16-12, highlighted by a season-high eight-game winning streak. Unfortunately for the Halos, however, they actually lost ground in the standings. The team currently sits eight-and-a-half games behind the Rangers. 

In order to climb their way into the AL playoff picture, the Angels will need to compile winning month after winning month going forward.

The following slideshow grades offensive player performances for May, the Angels' first winning month of the season. 

Erick Aybar

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	8	10	0	1	1	.313	.343	.375
May	23	24	0	10	0	.255	.268	.351

Since Peter Bourjos went down with a strained left hamstring in late April, the Angels have used Erick Aybar in the leadoff spot. But in 23 games in May, he is hitting only .255 with an on-base percentage of .268.

Simply put, he isn't getting it done. The Angels will likely drop the struggling Aybar to seventh or lower in the batting order once Bourjos returns from the DL. 

Grade: C-

Alberto Callaspo

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	9	9	1	3	0	.273	.351	.394
May	25	22	2	14	0	.256	.303	.395

Alberto Callaspo has been a pleasant surprise for the Halos. His triple-slash line for the month reads .256/.303/.395.

The Angels third baseman has been a solid RBI contributor in the month of May, ranking fifth on the team. Callaspo has even driven in more runs (14) than Josh Hamilton (10) in the last 30 days. 

Grade: B+

Josh Hamilton

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	26	22	2	9	1	.204	.252	.296
May	24	22	6	9	0	.237	.317	.505

Hamilton, above all other Angel players, should be relieved April has come and gone. The slugger's first month of the season can only be described as a monumental disappointment. His .204 batting average and two home runs had fans in Anaheim scratching their heads, wondering what had happened to the superstar they regularly played against in Texas.

Fortunately for Hamilton, the month of May has been much kinder. His triple-slash numbers are up across the board, and his power is coming back.

Although Hamilton's numbers won't approach where they stood last year (43 homers/128 RBI), a 30/100 season is not out of the question. 

Grade: C

Chris Iannetta

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	20	16	3	9	0	.222	.314	.403
May	19	11	2	7	0	.216	.437	.392

It is safe to say the Angels were pleasantly surprised with Iannetta's start to the season. The veteran hit .375 with two home runs and five RBI in his first four games.

As the season progressed, Iannetta's bat predictably cooled. Although the 30-year-old's batting average sits at just .216 in May, his on-base percentage is a surprising .437. In the last seven games, he has reached base on balls 10 times.

If he can keep getting on base and setting the table for the heart of the order, Iannetta will be a valuable asset going forward.

Grade: B

Howie Kendrick

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	26	29	3	14	2	.282	.318	.417
May	27	32	4	15	2	.320	.361	.480

With a May batting average of .320 and a slugging percentage of .480, it is safe to say that Howie Kendrick is in the zone. He has arguably been one of the best players for the Halos this month and was certainly a major catalyst in the team's season-high eight-game winning streak.

Kendrick is second on the team in hits (61), fifth on the team in home runs (7) and fourth on the team in RBI (29). Against the Dodgers on Monday, he became just the 15th player in Angels franchise history to reach 400 RBI with the club. The Angels second baseman should strongly be considered for the MLB All-Star Game in July.  

Grade: A

Albert Pujols

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	26	26	4	17	0	.252	.344	.417
May	26	25	4	14	0	.250	.300	.430

Albert Pujols has followed a mediocre April with a mediocre May.

Much has been made of the slugger's plantar fasciitis injury this season, but according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, the 33-year-old insists that "it's nothing that's going to keep me out of the lineup because I've played with it the whole season before."

Although the injury hasn't led to a stint on the DL, it has taken Pujols off the first base bag. Through 53 games of the season, the two-time Gold Glove Award winner has played first base in only 26 starts.

As for his offense, Pujols' month of May has been rather mundane. His first three-hit game of the month came against the Dodgers on Monday. While most of his numbers in May match those from April, his on-base percentage has dipped slightly. This is largely in part due to his decrease in walks from 15 in April to just seven in May. 

Grade: B-

J.B. Shuck

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	2	8	0	2	0	.471	.526	.588
May	23	20	0	8	0	.253	.294	.316

After not seeing the field much in April, the Angels have used J.B. Shuck in May to fill the hole created in the outfield by the Peter Bourjos injury.

Shuck's split stats reveal that the left-hander is batting .306 in his last 10 games, raising his season average to .304 (fourth best on the team).

Look for the opportunistic Shuck to be Mike Scioscia's first outfielder off the bench when Bourjos returns in early June. 

Grade: B+

Mike Trout

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	26	29	2	16	4	.261	.333	.432
May	27	35	8	21	8	.337	.412	.692

Last year's American League Rookie of the Year had a one-month sophomore slump (by his standards). But now, the old Mike Trout is back.

The Angels phenom is batting an incredible .337 with eight home runs and 21 RBI in the month of May. And on the basepaths, it is nice to see Trout's aggressiveness resurface—after a good month, he now has more stolen bases (12) than the rest of the team (9) combined.

Trout is undeniably the team's MVP for the month of May. Going forward, look for him to again battle Miguel Cabrera down to the wire for the AL MVP award.

Grade: A+

Mark Trumbo

	GS	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
April	26	33	5	16	1	.300	.353	.509
May	27	25	7	21	1	.243	.319	.505

You know you're having a good month when you take the clean-up spot away from a player as decorated as Josh Hamilton. But that's exactly what Mark Trumbo did in May.

The 27-year-old slugger currently leads the Angels with 12 home runs and 37 RBI. In addition, he ranks second behind Trout in slugging percentage. Trumbo's latest home run proved to be a game winner, breaking a 1-1 tie in the Freeway Series against the Dodgers on Wednesday night.

If it wasn't for Trout's elevated level of play, we could very well be anointing Trumbo as the Angels' MVP of the month.

Grade: A