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Julio Rodríguez

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(Redirected from Julio Rodríguez (baseball))
For other uses, see Julio Rodríguez (disambiguation).

Julio Rodríguez
Rodríguez with Leones del Escogido in 2020
Seattle Mariners – No. 44
Center fielder
Born: (2000-12-29) December 29, 2000 (age 23)
Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 8, 2022, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.277
Home runs80
Runs batted in246
Stolen bases86
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Dominican Republic
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Team

Julio Yarnel Rodríguez Jr. (born December 29, 2000), nicknamed "J-Rod", is a Dominican professional baseball center fielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the Mariners as an international free agent in 2017 and made his MLB debut in 2022. In his rookie season, he was named an All-Star along with winning the Silver Slugger Award and American League Rookie of the Year Award.

Early life

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Rodriguez was born in Loma de Cabrera,[1] a town of roughly 20,000 people, in the Dominican Republic.[2] He was raised in Loma de Cabrera with his three siblings. His father was an agricultural engineer, and his mother was a dentist.[3] At ten years old, he began competing in a local baseball league with children three to four years older than himself.[4] His father, Julio Sr., began coaching him at 12 years old, training him to play catcher because of his build. When he had a growth spurt the following year, he moved to the outfield.[5] He first caught the attention of scouts when, at only 12 years old, he hit a ball to the outfield wall against a hard-throwing 17-year-old pitcher in a local tournament.[4]

Professional career

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Minor leagues

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Rodríguez signed with the Seattle Mariners at 16 years of age as an international free agent in July 2017, receiving a $1.75 million signing bonus.[6][7][8] He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Mariners in 2018,[9][10] playing primarily right field and batting .315/.404/.525 with 50 runs, nine triples (tied for the league lead), five home runs, 36 RBI, and 10 stolen bases without being caught in 59 games.[11] He was named both a DSL mid-season All-Star and a Baseball America DSL All-Star.[11]

Rodríguez started 2019 with the Class A West Virginia Power in the South Atlantic League.[12] He missed part of the season with a fractured left hand.[13][14] He was promoted to the Class A-Advanced Modesto Nuts in the California League in August, becoming one of only three 18-year-olds in all of minor league baseball to play High-A ball in 2019.[6][8] He was over three years younger than the average player in both leagues.[15]

Rodríguez played in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas after the regular season. As the youngest player in the league at 18, he hit .28,8/.397/.365 in 52 at-bats.[16][17][14] He was named an AFL Rising Star.[11]

In 2020, with the minor league season canceled, Rodríguez was ticketed for the Mariners alternate training site in Tacoma, but he broke his left wrist during a workout in July. He later participated in the fall instructional league in Arizona.[18]

Rodríguez started 2021 with the Everett AquaSox. In June, he was promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers.[19] Rodríguez was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game.[20] In August 2021, he was ranked as the best Mariners prospect and second-best prospect on the MLB top 100 prospect list.[21] In 74 games in 2021, Rodríguez hit .347/.441/.560 with 13 home runs and 21 stolen bases.[19] The Mariners added him to their 40-man roster in November 2021 to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[22]

Seattle Mariners

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2022 season: AL Rookie of the Year

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Rodríguez made his major league debut on Opening Day, April 8, 2022,[23] as the starting center fielder against the Minnesota Twins.[24] After starting the season 1-for-21 with 12 strikeouts, Rodríguez took off.[5] On May 1, Rodríguez hit his first career home run, a three-run shot off Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara.[25] He was named American League (AL) Rookie of the Month consecutively for May and June 2022. In June, he played 29 games, scored 22 runs, and hit .280/.361/.542 with seven home runs, 16 RBI, and five stolen bases.[26] Rodríguez kept up his great performance in July, during a stretch in which the Mariners won 14 consecutive games and jumped into playoff discussions. On July 15, he hit his first career grand slam to put a game against the Texas Rangers out of reach. In July, he played 19 games, scored 12 runs, and hit .267/.337/.547 with five home runs, 18 RBI, and two steals.[1] He failed to win Rookie of the Month in July, as Jose Miranda put up superior numbers.[27]

Rodríguez was selected to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game roster, the sixth Mariner rookie to do so.[28] Rodríguez also participated in the Home Run Derby, where he hit 81 home runs across three rounds, besting Corey Seager and Pete Alonso before losing in the final round to Juan Soto.[29] On August 23,Rodríguez hit his 20th home run of the 2022 season, making him the sixth player in Seattle Mariners history to join the 20–20 club and the fourth player in MLB history to have 20 homers and 20 steals in their first MLB season.[30] On September 14, he became the first player to join the 25–25 club in his debut season.[31] On August 26, Rodríguez signed a contract extension with Seattle that could last up to 14 years and pay him up to $400 million.[32]

In 2022, Rodríguez batted .284/.345/.509 with 84 runs, 28 home runs, 75 RBI, 25 steals (fifth), and 140 strikeouts in 511 at-bats, while leading AL outfielders in both range factor per 9 innings (2.88) and errors (6).[33] At 21 years of age, he was the youngest qualified batter in major league baseball.[34] Rodríguez won the Silver Slugger Award[35] and the AL Rookie of the Year Award.[36]

2023: All-Star

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On April 7, 2023, Rodríguez hit a tiebreaking two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians. With this home run, Rodríguez became the fastest player in Mariners history to 30 home runs, doing so in 140 games.[37] On July 10, Rodríguez hit 41 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby against Pete Alonso, breaking the Derby record for most home runs in a single round.

In August, Rodríguez went on a tear at the plate that equaled or surpassed marks not achieved since the early 20th century. From August 16 to 19, Rodríguez broke the MLB record for most hits in a four-game span with 17, the most since at least 1901. During those four games, Rodríguez went 17-for-22, hit 2 home runs, recorded 8 RBIs, and stole 5 bases. He had 28 hits in 10 games, a number not reached since Kenny Lofton in 1997, and during that stretch had 5 four-hit games, a feat not recorded as having happened since 1900. He had 5 four-hit games during August; only Ty Cobb, with 6 in 1921, had more in a month.[38]

In early September, he became the first player in MLB history to hit 25 home runs and steal 25 bases in his first two seasons.[39] On September 11, Rodríguez hit his 30th home run of the season, making him the 44th player to join MLB's 30–30 club.[40]

In 2023, Rodríguez batted .275/.333/.485 with 32 home runs and 37 stolen bases and led the AL with 29 infield hits.[41] He won his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award[42] and was a finalist for the AL Gold Glove Award in center field.[43] He finished fourth place in the AL Most Valuable Player voting.[44]

Personal life

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Rodríguez says he's motivated by anime. In his childhood, he would run home from school to watch Naruto. As a rookie, Rodríguez wore a chain featuring title character Naruto Uzumaki on the reverse as a reminder to "always see the bright side of things" and "never give up."[5]

Rodríguez began dating Canadian professional soccer player Jordyn Huitema in November 2022.[45]

In January 2023, Rodríguez donated an ambulance to his hometown's civil defense headquarters. Prior to his donation, the town did not have an ambulance for emergencies. He also gifted baseball equipment and toys to the children in his hometown.[46]

Awards and accolades

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Julio Rodriguez Player Card". The Baseball Cube. December 29, 2000. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Trupin, John (January 30, 2019). "Julio Rodriguez says he's not done learning". Lookout Landing. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Crasnick, Jerry. "Julio Rodriguez". MLBPA Players. MLBPA. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Torres, Maria; Brock, Corey (October 4, 2022). "How Mariners' rookie Julio Rodríguez became the new king of Seattle". The Athletic. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Gonzalez, Alden (November 14, 2022). "'Bet on me': How rookie Julio Rodriguez became the Mariners' $470 million man". ESPN.com. ESPN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Julio Rodríguez is one of the game's best prospects—and it's clear why". Marinersblog.mlblogs.com. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  7. ^ Preusser, Kate. "Julio Rodriguez wants to 'break baseball'". The Athletic. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Glaser, Kyle (September 4, 2019). "'He's A Monster': Julio Rodriguez Has The Attention Of Scouts, Fellow Players". Baseballamerica.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  9. ^ Cotterill, T. J. (March 25, 2019). "Julio Rodriguez Has That 'It' Factor". www.baseballamerica.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  10. ^ "Rodriguez, 17, impresses Mariners on, off field". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "Julio Rodriguez Stats, Highlights, Bio | MiLB.com Stats | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Milb.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  12. ^ Redd, Derek (June 11, 2019). "West Virginia Power outfielder Julio Rodriguez happy to be back on the diamond". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  13. ^ "Prized M's prospect Rodriguez out with fractured hand". HeraldNet.com. April 19, 2019. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Johns, Greg (October 19, 2019). "Mariners shut down prospect Julio Rodriguez". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  15. ^ R.J. Anderson (September 27, 2019). "Seattle Mariners top prospect list 2020: Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez give the M's a pair of stud outfielders". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  16. ^ "Arizona Fall League rosters revealed". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  17. ^ "Julio Rodriguez Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  18. ^ Divish, Ryan (September 29, 2020). "Julio Rodriguez, Mariners' six 2020 draft picks highlight roster for fall instructional league". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Julio Rodríguez 2021 Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  20. ^ "Futures Game rosters are STACKED". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  21. ^ "Top 100 Prospects list". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  22. ^ "Mariners shield J-Rod with 40-man roster call". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  23. ^ "Julio Rodríguez stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  24. ^ "Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins box score". Baseball-Reference.com. April 8, 2022. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  25. ^ "'Let's go': J-Rod's 450-foot HR powers Mariners". mlb.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  26. ^ Harrigan, Thomas (July 2, 2022). "J-Rod, Harris recognized as June's Rookies of the Month". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  27. ^ "July top rookie honors go to Miranda, Strider". MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  28. ^ "Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez named to AL All-Star team at 21 years old". July 10, 2022. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  29. ^ "Mariners rookie sensation Julio Rodríguez to participate in Home Run Derby". July 13, 2022. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  30. ^ "Julio mashes way to Seattle's 10th 20-20 season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  31. ^ "J-Rod is 1st with 25 HRs, 25 steals in debut season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  32. ^ "Sources: M's, J-Rod extension could top $400M". ESPN.com. August 26, 2022. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  33. ^ "Julio Rodriguez Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  34. ^ "Major League Leaderboards » 2022 » Batters » Statcast | FanGraphs Baseball". www.fangraphs.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  35. ^ "Mariners star Rodriguez becomes fourth rookie outfielder to win Silver Slugger". November 11, 2022. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  36. ^ "J-Rod tops debut season with AL ROY Award". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  37. ^ "J-Rod makes Mariners history with decisive homer". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  38. ^ "Julio Rodríguez keeps up torrid pace with another 4 hits, HR". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 29, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  39. ^ Jude, Adam (September 4, 2023). "Julio Rodriguez hits 25th homer to reach another MLB milestone". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  40. ^ "Julio Rodríguez Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  41. ^ "Major League Leaderboards - 2023 - Batting". FanGraphs Baseball.
  42. ^ "Rodríguez wins Silver Slugger | September 11, 2023". MLB.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  43. ^ Harrigan, Thomas; Adler, David (November 5, 2023). "2023 Gold Glove Awards finalists". MLB.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  44. ^ Divish, Ryan (November 16, 2023). "Mariners' Julio Rodriguez finishes 4th in AL MVP; Ohtani wins unanimously". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  45. ^ Nightengale, Bob (February 28, 2023). "Julio Rodriguez, Dansby Swanson share their love of soccer through their significant others". USA Today. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  46. ^ Randhawa, Manny (January 6, 2023). "J-Rod gifts toys, baseball items, ambulance(!) to hometown". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by American League Player of the Month
August 2023 		Succeeded by
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