Surprising Phillies ace rightfully named April NL Pitcher of the Month

The accolades keep coming for the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation. After being celebrated as one of the top rotations in MLB through the first month of the season, one starter has been singled out as the best pitcher in the National League.

No, it's not Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, or Spencer Turnbull — that's how good the rotation has been. It's Mr. Rager himself, Ranger Suárez. On Friday morning, MLB named the left-hander the NL Pitcher of the Month for April.

Surprise Phillies ace rightfully named April NL Pitcher of the Month

It's a well-deserved honor for Suárez. He finished the season's first month with a 5-0 record in five starts, a 0.75 ERA and a 0.61 WHIP. All three stats rank first in the NL through April. If you expand the "first month" of the season to include his one March outing, his 1.32 ERA and 0.63 WHIP still lead all qualified NL starters.

Suárez's 1.3 fWAR through the end of April makes him the second-most valuable pitcher in the NL, right behind teammate Zack Wheeler's 1.4 fWAR.

Even with all those outstanding numbers, perhaps the most impressive accomplishment of his early season has been the 32 2/3 scoreless inning streak he put together. The run included three straight shutout performances. The highlight was easily his complete-game shutout of the Colorado Rockies on April 16. He scattered seven hits in that masterful performance, striking out eight Rockies batters while walking only one.

That start perfectly encapsulates Suárez's season so far. He has been dominant with pinpoint control, with just five walks through 41 innings, while registering 40 strikeouts and a 60.8 percent ground ball rate. He leads qualified MLB hurlers with a league-low 81.9 average exit velocity, making most balls in play easy outs for his defense.

Suárez lines up for his next start on Saturday against the visiting San Francisco Giants as he looks to continue his rise to ace status in the Phillies rotation.