Major League Baseball has selected Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani and Nationals outfielder Juan Soto -- a pair of serious contenders for this year's Rookie of the Year Awards -- as the American and National League's Rookies of the Month for September.
Ohtani and Soto submitted strong closing arguments for awards season, continuing to excel on teams who were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. Ohtani began his September by having his team recommend he undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, but responded with a pair of home runs that same evening and kept on motoring.