21-year-old Seattle Mariners Center Fielder Julio Rodríguez was named 2022 American League Rookie of the Year. It was no doubt that Rodríguez or also known in Seattle as J-Rod would receive the award. His rookie campaign established him as the face of the Seattle Mariners franchise and the future of the MLB.
Rodríguez was nothing short of amazing in 2022. His accomplishments, awards, and stat-line in his first year in the league are one to remember. The list below explains why he deserved the award:
Rodríguez even has other professional athletes turning heads. During his Home-Run Derby performance, Cleveland Cavaliers NBA All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell shouted out the youngster on Twitter: “This kid Julio Rodriguez is nice!!”
Rodríguez is a stud and is a genuine superstar in the making.
His stats aren’t the only thing that proves he is the future for the Mariners, but also his massive contract extension. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, in August he signed a massive long-term extension that guarantees the 21-year-old outfielder $210 million and could max out at $470 million, which would be the richest deal in American sports history. The initial guarantee is 12 years and $210 million, reports Ken Rosenthal. The contract deal will begin next season, which gets Rodríguez through the 2034 season, as mentioned in the Mariners’ announcement. Rodríguez’s swagger and smile can light up a stadium and he will be a shining light for the Seattle Mariners’ bright future.
Rodríguez has emerged as a superstar in the MLB and at this rate, he is only going to get better. He went on a tear in the last two months of the regular season. He posted a tremendous batting average of .383 in September and .455 in October. Which increased his batting average from .264 at the end of August to .284 by the end of the regular season. A great end to a superstar rookie season. It’s been a crazy journey for Rodríguez from humble beginnings in the Dominican Republic. He was originally signed as an international free agent in 2017 at only 16 years old. Flashforward five years later he is now a multi-millionaire. The sky is the limit for the young ball player as his rookie season will be remembered in the history books.
Statistics Courtesy of FanGraphs, Baseball Reference, Baseball Savant, and MLB.com
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