San Diego Padres' closer Mason Miller started off his dominant 2026 campaign by winning the National League Reliever of the Month award in April, and then he repeated the feat in May.
This accolade does not come as a surprise to anyone as Miller has become arguably the best reliever in baseball since joining the Padres at last year's trade deadline. In his 48 1/3 innings for the Padres, he has posted an ERA under 0.80.
To secure his second straight Reliever of the Month award for May, the 27-year-old held opponents scoreless through 9 2/3 innings with 20 strikeouts and seven saves.
Miller has an unbelievable 49 strikeouts through 25 innings to start his season. His 47.6% strikeout percentage in the month of May is unheard of, unless you look at April where he posted a 53.7% strikeout percentage. He accumulated 0.9 WAR during his remarkable month.
The right-hander regularly pumps out 102 mph four-seam fastballs mixed in-between his devastating slider and changeup. His lethal pitching arsenal was nearly unhittable in May, holding batters to a .121 batting average with a .407 OPS.
He is proving to everyone why he was worth the five players it took to acquire him, a package that included top prospect Leo De Vries.
Miller has been a key piece of the Padres success this season that has them in second place in the National League West Division. While San Diego has struggled with production out of their lineup, their pitching has been incredible and continues to keep them in games.
If the Padres have a lead going into the ninth inning, the game is over once Miller steps on the mound. He is a perfect 17-for-17 in save opportunities this season.
Miller is the only player this season so far to win a Player of the Month Award in back-to-back months for any position. There is no slowing Miller down.
While the National League Cy Young race is stacked this season, Miller will likely receive votes for his stellar pitching out of the bullpen. The last relief pitcher to place in the top three for a Cy Young award was Emmanuel Clase in 2024 after posting a 0.61 ERA. With Miller sitting at a 0.72 ERA through May, he could be the next.
The Padres continue their series in Philadelphia, Wednesday at 6:40 P.M. as they try to get themselves back into the win column, likely with help from the National League Reliever of the Month.
