The Seattle Mariners finally broke a long drought this season, winning 90 games and earning the second Wild Card spot in the American League.
Seattle had not been to the postseason since 2001.
One of the key components of their run in 2022 was the emergence of Julio Rodriguez, who could very well be crowned the American League Rookie of the Year tonight.
At the plate, Rodriguez provided some much-needed thump in the Mariners’ lineup, but he also gave them a boost on defense, helping the Mariners save 19 more runs than they did in 2021.
Rodriguez was also rated above average in center field when catching balls hit to shallow and deep center field.
Julio Rodríguez defense appreciation tweet!
The Mariners improved by 19 Runs Saved in CF from 2021 to 2022
Rodriguez rated above-average at catching balls hit to shallow CF, deep CF, and everywhere in between.#SeaUsRise #SubeLaMarea pic.twitter.com/1SZldOqyZN
— SIS_Baseball (@sis_baseball) November 14, 2022
J-Rod’s Defense Was Elite
Rodriguez’s defense was certainly worthy of at least some consideration for a Gold Glove.
Unfortunately, he did not win a Gold Glove, but his defense helped give the Mariners a much-needed boost in 2022 as they set out to end the longest active playoff drought in all of baseball.
At the plate, Rodriguez hit .284 with 28 home runs and 75 RBI.
He also hit 25 doubles and registered 145 total bases.
But out in center field, he only committed a total of six errors during the regular season and had a .984 fielding percentage with 357 putouts.
Rodriguez gave the Mariners a little bit of everything in 2022 on both sides of the ball.
His defense could certainly help his Rookie of the Year case.
Among him in the race for the award are Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.
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