Comparing Jeremy Peña, Julio Rodríguez for AL Rookie of the Year
By Kevin Henry
Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez has seemingly found the spotlight in the Pacific Northwest to his liking, thriving through his first 44 games and looking every bit like a player who could earn the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year Award.
What is making Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners a favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year Award
After posting a .419 batting average and 1.310 OPS this spring while hitting three home runs, the 21-year-old Rodríguez showed he was ready to make an impact for the Mariners. He has done just that this season in what has been a disappointing start for the franchise (18-26 and battling the Oakland A’s to stay out of the AL West cellar).
Even though his team has struggled, Rodríguez has not disappointed. After slashing .205/.284/.260 and no home runs in 73 April at-bats, he has turned it on in May, posting .326/.355/.539 numbers with five home runs in 89 May at-bats.
He has also shown what his speed can do on the bases, logging an MLB-high 13 stolen bases so far this season and displaying a top sprint speed of 29.8 feet per second (per Statcast), putting him among the league’s top eight fastest players.
Along with the speed, he’s also shown an awareness on the bases, getting big jumps to increase his chances of success with the stolen base.
With a 21-foot secondary lead, Julio Rodríguez swiped his MLB-leading 13th base of the year handily, dialing his sprint speed up to 29.6 ft/sec.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) May 25, 2022
A look at the jump: pic.twitter.com/YaqRZKAg36
Key statistics to know
Through 44 games, Rodríguez is slashing an overall .270/.324/.411 and has accumulated 1.0 bWAR and a 119 OPS+