2022 Pacific Northwest Sports Top 10: Number 7 – Julio Rodriguez
His May performance made it official, Julio Rodriguez is in Seattle to stay. What does the future hold for this superstar? With Russell Wilson leaving for Denver, a young hockey team in the Seattle Kraken, and an NBA team in disarray, Julio Rodriguez’s biggest competition for the Pacific Northwest’s attention is from two dynastic teams from, unfortunately less popular sports. This has a chance to make Julio Rodriguez the face of not only the Seattle Mariners but the sports landscape around Emerald City.
Rodriguez is doing things that fans haven’t seen in decades. In his first 50 games, he’s the first Mariner since Ichiro to have 15 or more infield hits and 10 or more stolen bases. That’s some impressive company.
The adjustments he’s made at the plate are equally impressive. He struck out 30 times over 73 at bats in April and only 29 times in 110 during May. The young slugger is going to strike out, but to do it at a less than 27% clip after being well over 40% in his first month is impressive.
Adding to his growing legend, J-Rod has one of the three fastest home-to-first attempts of the season (Jorge Mateo and Bobby Witt Jr. were the only ones faster this season). Since moving to third in the batting order, he’s hitting .378 in 9 games (37 at bats) with a 1.032 OPS.
J-Rod isn’t perfect, but he is fun to watch, and I look forward to many years of the burgeoning Seattle Mariners star burning down to first or launching mammoth home runs while smiling, having fun, and adding his infectiously positive attitude about things.
Joe Swenson loves baseball, his family, and writing. He writes in many genres from sports, to young adult fiction novels, to plays, screenplays, and everything in between.