Delivery Man of the Month Award
The Delivery Man of the Month Award was given to the most outstanding relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for each month of the regular season. It was first awarded in 2005 and lasted until the end of the 2013 season, when it was discontinued. It has since been replaced by the Reliever of the Month Award, instituted in 2017. It was presented by DHL International GmbH, a shipping company. There was also a Delivery Man of the Year Award, which has also since been discontinued and replaced.
The award was selected by a "Yellow Ribbon" panel of experts which originally included Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter; Lou Piniella, former manager and player; Mike Bauman, a columnist for MLB.com; Jerome Holtzman, the official MLB Historian; and Bob Watson, Vice President of On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball. Members of the panel changed over the years.
The award was the equivalent for relief pitchers to the Player of the Month, Pitcher of the Month and Rookie of the Month awards, also given out by MLB, although those were given out by MLB without an intermediate sponsor. In the case of this particular award, there was only one award for both leagues, while the other three were given out in each league.
Award Winners[edit]
2005[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Jose Mesa | Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) | 8 (8) |
| May | Trevor Hoffman | San Diego Padres (NL) | 12 (12) |
| June | Chad Cordero | Washington Nationals (NL) | 15 (15) |
| July | Brad Lidge | Houston Astros (NL) | 8 (8) |
| August | Todd Jones | Florida Marlins (NL) | 12 (12) |
| September | Ryan Dempster | Chicago Cubs (NL) | 13 (13) |
2006[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Jonathan Papelbon | Boston Red Sox (AL) | 10 (10) |
| May | Jason Isringhausen | St. Louis Cardinals (NL) | 10 (10) |
| June | Bobby Jenks | Chicago White Sox (AL) | 10 (10) |
| July | Joe Nathan | Minnesota Twins (AL) | 9 (9) |
| August | Francisco Rodriguez | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (AL) | 12 (12) |
| September | Trevor Hoffman | San Diego Padres (NL) | 11 (12) |
2007[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Francisco Cordero | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 10 (10) |
| May | Trevor Hoffman | San Diego Padres (NL) | 11 (11) |
| June | J.J. Putz | Seattle Mariners (AL) | 11 (11) |
| July | Billy Wagner | New York Mets (NL) | 8 (8) |
| August | Takashi Saito | Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) | 10 (10) |
| September | Manuel Corpas | Colorado Rockies (NL) | 8 (9) |
2008[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Mariano Rivera | New York Yankees (AL) | 8 (8) |
| May | B.J. Ryan | Toronto Blue Jays (AL) | 10 (10) |
| June | Francisco Rodriguez | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (AL) | 11 (12) |
| July | Joe Nathan | Minnesota Twins (AL) | 7 (7) |
| August | Jose Valverde | Houston Astros (NL) | 10 (10) |
| September | Joakim Soria | Kansas City Royals (AL) | 9 (9) |
2009[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Heath Bell | San Diego Padres (NL) | 8 (8) |
| May | Trevor Hoffman | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 11 (11) |
| June | Joe Nathan | Minnesota Twins (AL) | 11 (11) |
| July | Mariano Rivera | New York Yankees (AL) | 10 (10) |
| August | Ryan Franklin | St. Louis Cardinals (NL) | 11 (11) |
| September | Joakim Soria | Kansas City Royals (AL) | 10 (10) |
2010[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Matt Capps | Washington Nationals (NL) | 10 (10) |
| May | Rafael Soriano | Tampa Bay Rays (AL) | 9 (9) |
| June | Bobby Jenks | Chicago White Sox (AL) | 10 (10) |
| July | Rafael Soriano | Tampa Bay Rays (AL) | 11 (14) |
| August | Rafael Soriano | Tampa Bay Rays (AL) | 10 (10) |
| September | Carlos Marmol | Chicago Cubs (NL | 13 (13) |
2011[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Huston Street | Colorado Rockies (NL) | 10 (10) |
| May | J.J. Putz | Arizona Diamondbacks (NL) | 11 (11) |
| June | Joel Hanrahan | Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) | 9 (9) |
| July | John Axford | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 11 (11) |
| August | Craig Kimbrel | Atlanta Braves (NL) | 10 (10) |
| September | J.J. Putz | Arizona Diamondbacks (NL) | 10 (10) |
2012[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Jonathan Papelbon | Philadelphia Phillies NL) | 8 (8) |
| May | Jim Johnson | Baltimore Orioles (AL) | 9 (9) |
| June | Tyler Clippard | Washington Nationals (NL) | 10 (10) |
| July | Aroldis Chapman | Cincinnati Reds (NL) | 13 (13) |
| August | Aroldis Chapman | Cincinnati Reds (NL) | 11 (11) |
| September | Craig Kimbrel | Atlanta Braves (NL) | 10 (10) |
2013[edit]
| Month | Player | Team (League) | Saves (Opportunities) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Jason Grilli | Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) | 10 (10) |
| May | Jason Grilli | Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) | 12 (12) |
| June | Joe Nathan | Texas Rangers (AL) | 11 (11) |
| July | Greg Holland | Kansas City Royals (AL) | 11 (11) |
| August | Craig Kimbrel | Atlanta Braves (NL) | 12 (12) |
| September | Greg Holland | Kansas City Royals (AL) | 11 (12) |
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