Julio RodriguezThe dynamic young quarterback for the Seattle Mariners was named the NBA Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Monday, topping the Baltimore Orioles’ catcher. Madeleine Rochman Leave the Cleveland Guardians Field Stephen Kwan.
Rodriguez received 29 out of 30 first-place and one-second votes for 148 points from the American Baseball Writers Association Committee. Rochman came in second with one first-place vote, 18 second-place votes, and nine-thirds. Kwan came in third with the Royals player Bobby Witt Jr.., Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena And Mariners Jar George Kirby Also receive votes.
The J-Rod Show continues. # Jolyuru Yrigiz pic.twitter.com/3tdeOGy0d3
– Seattle Mariners (@ Mariners) November 15, 2022
Rodriguez electrified Seattle and captivated an entire nation of baseball fans with his youthful enthusiasm, apparent exuberance and wide-ranging talent. At 21, he cut .284/.345/.509 with 28 home runs, 25 base steals and 25 doubles as he propelled the Marines to their first berth after the season since 2001, moving on the longest active dry spell among the four major professional sports in North America.
Along the way, Rodriguez consistently came in at the big points, impressing with his defence, power and speed. His win tied 5.3 FanGraphs above substitute Rutschman’s lead and is topped by only 21 players across the sport.
Rodriguez is the fifth Mariners player to win the Rookie of the Year award, after Alvin Davis (1984), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000), and Ichiro Suzuki (2001). Kyle Lewis (2020).
Only two other players since 1900 have accumulated at least 28 home runs, 25 stolen bases and 25 doubles in their seasons of 21 or younger – Mike Trout and Andrew Jones. Rodriguez is the first player ever to combine 25 home games and 25 stolen bases in his first season in the major leagues and the third to do so while still qualifying for starters, along with Trout and Chris Young, according to ESPN Statistics and Information Research.
Rutschman finished with a .254/.362/.445 slash that aligns with 13 homers and 35 doubles while dealing with intensity from behind the home plate. The Orioles, who were widely expected to finish last in the highly competitive AL East, started the 2022 season 16-24 but went 67-55 after Rutschman debuted on May 21, nearly making the playoffs.
Cowan, already one of the sport’s most skilled hitters, is a .298/.373/.400 hitter with 168 strokes, the most junior hitters for Cleveland in the expansion era (since 1961). The only player in the majors to have a higher calling rate last season was the Minnesota Twins player Louis Arazwho won the AL batting title.
Mariners envisioned Rodriguez as a potential star when they signed his exit from the Dominican Republic for $1.75 million in the summer of 2017, but he is more described as a solid cornerback. Rodriguez has transformed himself into a five-instrument center player, zooming through the Mariners’ minor league system – despite losing an entire season to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 – and breaking the team’s opening day roster this spring.
Rodriguez struggled hard in his first month, scoring a 0.544 OPS during that time, but he recovered enough to be the All-Star Team and eventually put on a show during the Home Run Derby of Dodger Stadium.
Rodriguez said, “I had a few shaky times at the beginning of the year, but I was able to hold on to myself, and trust myself. All the doubts I had throughout the year, I know it will do me good along the way.”
Ultimately, the Mariners rewarded Rodriguez with a long-term extension that will pay him between $210 million and $470 million over the course of his career, an unprecedented – and highly motivating – contract for someone with less than a full year in the major league. service time.
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