As long as Julio Rodriguez is healthy, the Seattle Mariners will have a chance to catch the Houston Astros for the AL West lead.
It’s that simple: he is a difference-maker and has carried the M’s over the last few weeks during their resurgence.
Seattle lost a heartbreaking game against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, but that didn’t stop Rodriguez from making history.
“Julio Rodríguez is the 4th player in MLB history to have a 30 HR, 30 SB season at age 22 or younger. He joins: Ronald Acuña Jr., Mike Trout, and Alex Rodriguez,” ESPN Stats & Info tweeted.
Julio Rodríguez is the 4th player in MLB history to have a 30 HR, 30 SB season at age 22 or younger. He joins:
🪓 Ronald Acuña Jr.
👼 Mike Trout
🔱 Alex Rodriguez pic.twitter.com/YEI1WU6qm6— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 12, 2023
J-Rod went 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
The homer was his 30th of the season, and it helped him become just the second 30-30 player this season (Ronald Acuna Jr. is the other).
The most impressive thing of all is that he did it at 22 years old.
As ESPN Stats & Info pointed out, that’s something that only special hitters have achieved throughout history: Trout, Acuna, and A-Rod have all had impressive careers.
But there are no limits to J-Rod’s talent on a baseball field.
For the season, he is slashing .287/.342/.504 with 30 homers, 97 RBI, 92 runs scored, 36 stolen bases, and an .847 OPS.
If it wasn’t for a certain guy named Shohei Ohtani, we would say Rodriguez was a bona fide MVP candidate.
Ohtani has the award locked up at this point, but the evolution and skill shown by Rodriguez has been nothing short of amazing.
The Mariners have a really good one signed for the long haul.
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