ARLINGTON, Texas – Major League Baseball announced today that Andrés Muñoz has been named American League Reliever of the Month for March/April.
Muñoz, 26, was 1-0 with 11 saves, a 0.00 ERA (0 ER, 15.0 IP), 6 walks (2 intentional), 19 strikeouts and a 0.73 WHIP while holding opponents to a .106 (5x47) average during March/April with the Mariners going 13-2 in games he pitched in. He pitched in extra innings 4 times during the month, stranding the inherited runner in each outing.
Among AL relievers with at least 10 appearances during March/April, he ranked among the leaders in saves (1st), ERA (T-1st), Opp. AVG (5th), Opp. OPS (4th, .314), WHIP (9th), fWAR (2nd, 0.6) and bWAR (1st, 1.6). He ranked tied for 3rd among all MLB pitchers in WAR (Baseball-Reference) during the month, trailing only Luis Severino-ATH (1.8) and Hunter Brown-HOU (1.7). His 11 saves trailed only Robert Suárez-SD (12) for the MLB lead, while the next closest AL relievers Carlos Estévez-KC and Mason Miller-ATH were tied with 9.
This marks the 2nd time Muñoz has won AL Reliever of the Month, the other for August 2023, and the 7th time overall a Mariners pitcher has won the award, with Edwin Díaz winning 5 times (July 2017, April 2018, June 2018, July 2018 and August 2018). Muñoz is the first Mariners monthly award winner since he and Julio Rodríguez (Player of the Month) each won awards for August 2023.
The Mariners have been heavily featured in awards voting so far this season, with Jorge Polanco (April 21-27) and Dylan Moore (April 14-20) winning back-to-back AL Player of the Week awards, the first Mariners to win back-to-back AL Player of the Week awards since Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. on June 27 and July 4, 1998.
Muñoz, who was named an American League All-Star in 2024, has appeared in parts of 6 Major League seasons with San Diego (2019) and Seattle (2021-c), going 11-20 with 51 saves, a 2.46 ERA (58 ER, 212.0 IP), 82 walks, 290 strikeouts and a 1.024 WHIP during his career. He was originally signed by the San Diego Padres as an international free agent on July 15, 2015. He was acquired by the Mariners along with INF Ty France, C Luis Torrens and OF Taylor Trammell from the San Diego Padres in exchange for C Austin Nola, RHP Austin Adams and RHP Dan Altavilla on August 31, 2020. The Los Mochis, Mexico native signed a 4-year extension with the Mariners that includes club options through the 2028 season on December 1, 2021.