6 MLB Stars Who Were Absolutely on Fire in May

The month of May has come and gone, and as we head to June and the summer weather, there are plenty of players who are sad to see the calendar change months. Here are six MLB stars who were absolutely on fire in May.

6. LHP Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox v New York Yankees / Jim McIsaac

When you look at Chris Sale's overall numbers, it's not pretty. He's 1-7 with a 4.35 ERA. That tells you how bad his April was, because in May he made six starts to the tune of 2.82 ERA with an MLB-leading 66 strikeouts over 38.1 innings. This could be a sign of big things to come for the Red Sox ace.

5. RHP Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox

Kansas City Royals v Chicago White Sox / Jonathan Daniel

Lucas Giolito was arguably the worst starting pitcher in baseball last season, but a delivery change has done wonders for the White Sox hurler, who is starting to look like the frontline guy everyone envisioned. May 2019 contained the best stretch of his career, as he was 5-0 and posted a 1.74 ERA with 46 strikeouts over 41.1 innings. Giolito also produced a complete-game shutout to cement his brilliant month.

4. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers

New York Mets v Los Angeles Dodgers / John McCoy

If the All-Star Game was held today, you are looking at the starter for the National League. Hyun-Jin Ryu has been the ace of the Dodgers -- yes, the team that has Clayton Kershaw -- and in May he posted a 5-0 record with an incredible MLB-best 0.59 ERA. Ryu isn't a strikeout machine, but he walked only three batters, which is insane.

3. 3B Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs v Washington Nationals / Greg Fiume

It's not a shock that the moment the Cubs got going was when Kris Bryant began to get hot at the plate. After a brutal April in which he hit .218, the former NL MVP followed that up by slashing .333/.443/.719 with 10 home runs and 22 RBI. Bryant is the key to Chicago's success, so they need the former MVP to put up more months like this moving forward.

2. 1B Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates

Chicago Cubs v Pittsburgh Pirates / Justin K. Aller

The Pittsburgh Pirates don't get a lot of attention, but you are doing yourself a disservice if you aren't watching Josh Bell play. The former heralded prospect has finally come into his own, and in the month of May he put up monster numbers, slashing .390/.442/.797 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI, both of which led the league.

1. 3B Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

Washington Nationals v Colorado Rockies / Matthew Stockman

Nolan Arenado was sleepwalking a bit in April, but he finally woke up and looked like the MVP-candidate we've come to expect when May rolled around. The Rockies third baseman hit an MLB-best .425 with 9 home runs, 29 RBI and whopping 1.262 OPS, which also led baseball in May. Colorado is starting to make a playoff push, and you guessed it, Arenado's bat is leading the charge.