Sale, Stanton headline Players of the Month for June

The six players who demonstrated the most dominant performances of June were rewarded for their contributions as the Players of the Month, which were announced Thursday.

Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols clubbed 13 very meaningful home runs, as the 35-year-old is in the midst of another All-Star-caliber season, and was named the American League Player of the Month. "The Machine" surpassed Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx and Mickey Mantle for sole possession of 16th place on the all-time home run list and tied the franchise record for homers in June with his Tuesday blast.

Even an injury-shortened month wasn't enough to keep Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton from claiming the National League Player of the Month. The 25-year-old posted an MLB-best .800 slugging percentage while launching a par of home runs over 475 feet.

Max Scherzer claimed the NL Pitcher of the Month for a second straight time as the Washington Nationals ace added a no-hitter to his already impressive resume. Scherzer missed a perfect game last week by one out after he plunked Jose Tabata in the elbow in the ninth inning.

Chicago White Sox left-hander Chris Sale tossed himself into some esteemed company this month en route to the AL Pitcher of the Month award. The 26-year-old recorded double-digit strikeouts in all six of his starts and with his 12 punchouts Tuesday, became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 with double-digit strikeouts in seven straight outings.

Not a whole lot has gone right in Philly this season, outside of the play of Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco. The 22-year-old went on an exceptional run in June, leading the team in home runs, RBIs, average, on-base percentage, and slugging to claim the NL Rookie of the Month honors.

Carlos Correa wasted no time accumulating hardware, picking up his first AL Rookie of the Month in his first month in the majors. The 2012 first-overall pick by the Houston Astros, Correa collected five home runs, four stolen bases, and dazzled defensively through his first 22 games.