Let's state the obvious: absolutely nobody (outside of maybe friends, relatives and the man himself) could have expected this start for Red Sox utility infielder Jose Iglesias. We are a few weeks away from the 2013 MLB All-Star Game and he's hitting .415/.463 OBP/.533 SLG in 41 games with 56 hits, 23 runs, nine doubles, two triples, one home run and 10 RBIs. Today, Iglesias was named the American League Rookie of the Month for June.
Showing how few homegrown prospects the franchise has hit on lately, Iglesias is the first Red Sox to receive the honor since Jacoby Ellsbury way back in September 2007. In June, Iglesias hit .395 with .453 on-base percentage. For a guy that looked hopeless at the plate as recently as last season, this start to 2013 (that we all know will end some point soon) has been nothing short of amazing.
He's always been known for his exceptional glove but Jose has also shown his versatility as he started the season at shortstop, was sent to Pawtucket when Stephen Drew was healthy then came back and now he's the third baseman with Will Middlebrooks playing for the PawSox. Scratch that, he's been in his natural position the last few games because Drew is doing what he does best-missing games with iffy injuries.
Another cool part of this is that Iglesias-a Cuban-is also joined by his fellow countryman outfielder Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers who was named the National League Rookie of the Month for June. It's the first time two Cubans have won the award at the same time. For what it's worth, I think that Iglesias has a good shot at the American League Rookie of the Year as well since it is not a particularly strong class. Stay tuned on that.
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