(September 3, 2025, New York) – Outfielder James Nelson of the Charleston Dirty Birds and reliever Brendan Cellucci of the York Revolution have been honored as the Atlantic League’s Players of the Month for August 2025. Nelson, the Player of the Month, became the first player in ALPB history to record 30 homers and 40 stolen bases in a season while Cellucci, the Pitcher of the Month, went 1-0 with seven saves and did not allow a base hit throughout the month of August.
Nelson, 27, accomplished what no other player in ALPB has ever done. On August 26 in a game at High Point, Nelson led off the game with his 30th homer of the season to join the 30-40 Club. He had already surpassed the 30 stolen base milestone and currently has 31 homers and 47 stolen bases. In August, Nelson hit .321 with five homers, 20 RBI and 16 stolen bases. With just three more stolen bases, Nelson would achieve the even more rare distinction of 30 homers and 50 stolen bases. Only four Major League players have ever posted a 30-50 season: Eric Davis (Reds) in 1987, Barry Bonds (Pirates) in 1990, Ronald Acuna, Jr. (Braves) in 2023 and Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) in 2024.
Cellucci, 27, did not allow a base hit in August, making 11 appearances and going 2-0 with seven saves. Over his 11 innings of work, Cellucci did not allow a hit, walked just two and struck out 21, a strikeout rate of nearly 17 per nine innings. He earned a win over the Lexington Legends on August 10 and added five saves against the Long Island Ducks along with saves against the Hagerstown Flying Box Cars and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. He recorded at least one strikeout in every appearance and fanned all three batters he faced on two occasions.
The Atlantic League is in the final two weeks of the regular season and will begin the Divisional Series Championships on Saturday, September 20. The York Revolution, as the North Division first half champions, will host the first two games of the North DCS while South Division champion High Point will open the playoffs on the road against the South’s second half champion.
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 26-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its 10 state-of-the-art ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina. Catch every Atlantic League game live at FLOBASEBALL.tv and follow the action at AtlanticLeague.com.