May was an interesting month for the Marlins. They struggled heavily with injuries, but managed to keep close to .500 winning percentage and alive in the NL East. There were some notable individual performances in every aspect of the game. It’s your turn to choose your favorite performer of May for the Fish.

Fish Stripes is excited to introduce a new “Marlin of the Month” tradition! We will choose four finalists based on statistical production and signature moments, then open the polls here on fishstripes.com and our Twitter account (@fishstripes). The leading vote-getter will be recognized in the site’s awards section.

Your options for May, in alphabetical order...

Finalists

RHP Yimi García (May: 0.96 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 38 K in 9.1 IP)

Even though he took the loss on Thursday against the Phillies, García was stellar in May for the Marlins. Besides compiling five saves, he allowed only one run in the whole month and struck out 13 hitters with one two walks. Opponents hit for a .182 batting average off him.

1B/RF Garrett Cooper (May: .329/.386/.526, 3 HR, 11 RBI in 24 G)

The Marlins won 13 games in May and Cooper was one of the biggest reasons why. He led the team in OPS (.912) and finished second in hits during this month (25). He was in hero mode on May 22 against the Mets, hitting a two-run, walk-off home run to beat New York. Cooper has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 contests (.432, 8 XBHs, 11 RBIs).

LHP Trevor Rogers (May: 2.34 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 38 K in 34.2 IP)

The Marlin on the Month winner in April kept a steady dominance in May, building a strong case for the Rookie of the Year award. Rogers won three times and finished the month with five straight outings of no more than two earned runs. Led the Fish in innings, wins, and strikeouts.

OF Adam Duvall (May: .240/.284/.467, 5 HR, 19 RBI in 21 G)

In May, no one had more home runs (5) or runs batted in (19) for the Marlins than Duvall. Despite an ordinary .240 average, Adam proved why he’s one of the best sluggers of the club. He had at least three RBIs in four games (three wins). Defensively, Duvall also made a case to be the Marlins of the Month in May, just take a look...

Vote below:

Honorable Mentions

• Anthony Bender—registered 10 appearances without an earned run, only one walk, and 11 strikeouts (0.68 WHIP). Excellent work but rarely tested in high-leverage situations.
• Cody Poteet—won two games in four starts and finished May with a 2.95 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, and a .179 BAA.
• Miguel Rojas—led the team in hits (26) and doubles (8). Posted a .302/.368/.523 slash line throughout the month.
• Jesús Aguilar—despite some bad luck, Aguilar drove in 16 runs and recorded five doubles plus four home runs.