Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani headline Ben Verlander’s Team of the Month

It's the first full week of May, which means it's time for my first Team of the Month for 2024!

Spoiler alert: There are some Dodgers on this list with two of their "Big 3" former MVPs showing up as advertised in April. But while the Dodgers are playing like their talent would have you expect, there are some players on this list from teams currently under .500, including the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Without further ado, here is my Team of the Month for April 2024!

Catcher: Salvador Pérez, Kansas City Royals
.355 batting average, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 1.013 OPS

It's been almost 10 years since Pérez had the game-winning hit in that classic wild-card game that sparked the Royals' iconic 2014 playoff run. That 2014-15 run alone made him a Royals legend. Yet here he still is, an ageless wonder whose bat has developed into one of the best at his position for many seasons. At this point, how do you not say Pérez is the most underrated catcher in baseball? 

First baseman: Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks
.283 average, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 20 walks, .890 OPS

Speaking of most underrated, Walker may hold that title for first basemen despite playing in the World Series last year. This is a crucial start for a guy in his walk year (no pun intended), as Walker is currently set to be part of a loaded 2025 free-agent class. He could get paid like an elite first baseman next offseason if he keeps this up.

Second baseman: José Altuve, Houston Astros
.345 average, 7 HR, 16 extra-base hits, 1.010 OPS

And speaking of ageless wonders, my goodness. What a start to the year. The Astros can be in the midst of a massive rebuild in the mid 2010s, they can be in dynasty mode where they reach four World Series and seven straight American League Championship Series, or they can be mired in a brutal slump in April — and Altuve will just keep hitting like he always has.

Third baseman: Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies
.366 batting average, 4 HRs, 17 extra-base hits, 30 RBIs, 1.036 OPS

Bohm's stats from the first month of the season are stellar, but my favorite is this: He went 11 straight games without back-to-back plate appearances where he made an out. In other words, every time he recorded an out in that stretch, he reached base his next time at the plate. That is so impressive.

Shortstop: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
.368 average, 6 HR, 23 RBIs, 1.101 OPS

It's astounding that this was my toughest choice when you look at Betts' statistics, but that is how loaded the shortstop position is across Major League Baseball right now. If not for Betts, both Gunnar Henderson and Elly De La Cruz have phenomenal cases to be featured at this spot. But Betts was just too good, especially when considering that he is hitting like this while adjusting to a new position at this point in his career and making it look easy. Betts was already a superstar, and his willingness and ability to do this speaks volumes as to what kind of person and teammate he is.

Outfield: Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres
.318 average, 4 HR, 19 RBIs, .917 OPS

No, this is not a typo. Profar has been stellar since returning to the Padres last season (and that has only continued over the first few days of May). The point of doing the weekly and monthly installments of this list is to shout out guys when they go on prolonged hot streaks like this, and Profar absolutely fits that bill after the April he had.

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Outfield: Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros
.300 average, 7 HR, 20 RBIs, .967 OPS

Tucker had some rough stretches in 2023, but he's put that behind him in his start to 2024. A 30-30 season is in play for Tucker this year, and I will be rooting for him to get that done. The Astros' saving graces this season have been Altuve and Tucker, and if Houston can turn things around, those two will be huge reasons why.

Outfield: Juan Soto, New York Yankees
.325 batting average, 8 HR, 25 RBIs, 1.019 OPS

Soto has been everything Yankees fans hoped for and more after the blockbuster trade that brought him to New York. Given the struggles of Aaron Judge and that lineup as a whole over the first month of the 2024 season, the Yankees are not where they are if not for Soto. 

Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
.336 batting average, 7 HR, 19 RBIs, 1.017 OPS

There is an argument for Marcell Ozuna here, but those of you who have followed me for a while know who is winning an argument between Shohei Ohtani and just about any other baseball player on the planet. Ohtani's rocky start to the season both on and off the field feels a lot longer than a month ago, and he could be on this list again next month with three home runs in May already.

Starting pitcher: Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs
4-0, 27.2 innings pitched, 0.98 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 3 walks, .181 on-base percentage allowed

Whether it's been his historic first month facing MLB hitting or his hilarious off-field quotes such as recognizing New York City from the Spider-Man movies, Imanaga has been one of the best stories of the 2024 season. How can you not love this guy? When your biggest challenge on or off the field while moving to a different country is adjusting to drivers being allowed to turn right at red lights, you are doing something right.

Relief Pitcher: Mason Miller, Oakland Athletics
13.1 innings pitched, 1.35 ERA, eight saves, 28 strikeouts, four walks, .149 on-base percentage allowed

Miller is the most dominant relief pitcher in baseball right now, and another one of 2024's best stories. I wasn't sure the Athletics would have eight wins right now, let alone Miller having eight saves? A ratio of 28 strikeouts to four walks is nuts to think about. 

Player of the Month: Mookie Betts

As I alluded to earlier, whoever was my shortstop of the month would have to be my player of the month. Betts is the most deserving shortstop and most deserving overall player for this honor, especially when you factor in the massive positional change he has made. Do not gloss over that fact. We just witnessed someone go from right field to second base to an adequate shortstop while still hitting at an MVP level. That speaks volumes to Betts' work ethic. Do not take the ability to watch Betts for granted just because he's been producing at this level for so long. We are witnessing an all-time great.

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him at @BenVerlander.