Royals honor Vinnie Pasquantino, Seth Lugo with team awards for month of June

It was a special month for a pair of Kansas City Royals. On Tuesday, the Royals honored first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and pitcher Seth Lugo with team awards.

Pasquantino was named Royals player of the month for June. He led the club with 19 RBIs during the stretch. Additionally, Pasquantino tallied 12 extra-base hits to pace the Royals offense.

“Vinnie is a big part of what we can do,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We think he is a great hitter, and he hits third for us almost every night. He is a big part of picking up Bobby (Witt Jr.) in the run scoring and getting somebody on base in front of Salvy (Salvador Perez).”

Lugo was selected as the Royals pitcher of the month. Lugo finished June leading Major League Baseball with 11 wins and a 2.17 ERA. In Lugo’s final June outing he had 10 strikeouts in six scoreless innings against the Cleveland Guardians.

“He’s just done a great job with all of our pitching staff,” Royals utilityman Garrett Hampson said of Lugo. “And, obviously, his numbers are awesome. The impact he has on the other guys I think is important.”

The Royals leaned on both players in June. The club finished 12-15 in the month but picked up a crucial series victory over the Guardians, who are in first place in the American League Central.

Pasquantino extended his RBI streak at Kauffman Stadium to nine games. He trails former Royals star Eric Hosmer (12) for the most consecutive games with an RBI at home.

This season, Pasquantino ranks sixth in the American League with 55 RBIs. He also has 18 go-ahead RBIs, which ranks third in the MLB behind New York Yankees star Aaron Judge (21) and Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (19).

“He is a really good major-league player, and he deserves that honor,” Quatraro said. “This last homestand, he has really picked it up.”

Lugo continues to be a consistent force in the Royals starting rotation. The veteran posted a 3.11 ERA in six June starts. He registered 39 strikeouts and finished with a 12-inning scoreless streak.

Meanwhile, Lugo furthered his case to potentially start the 2024 MLB All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas.

“It’s unbelievable what he is doing, and (he is) just dominating,” Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. “The work he puts in both on and off the field. I’ve been calling him the surgeon for a reason. He’s just dissecting hitters up there.”

Lugo has won the Royals monthly honor three consecutive times. The last pitcher to achieve that milestone was Brady Singer from July through September in 2022.