The Sporting News has been handing out their end-of-the-season awards since Thursday afternoon.
These awards represent nice recognition to the winners and the seasons they had.
In most cases, they also give us an idea about the official MLB awards, such as MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year.
Speaking of the ROY race in the American League, Seattle Mariners first-year player Julio Rodriguez just received The Sporting News’ recognition as the best of the year.
𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫
Julio Rodríguez, @Mariners
Rodriguez earned 80% of the vote in a survey of 133 players. pic.twitter.com/i2NAnrIPHK
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) October 27, 2022
The voting process for the MLB award is different: here, players are the ones in charge of picking the winners.
Evidently, his colleagues think J-Rod was the most impressive rookie in the junior circuit, and they are probably right.
J-Rod Took The League By Storm
His showing in the Home Run Derby notwithstanding, Rodriguez had a robust season with the Ms, sending them to the postseason for the first time since 2001.
He slashed .284/.345/.509 with 28 home runs, 25 stolen bases, and a 146 wRC+, much higher than the league average of 100.
When it comes to the MLB official award, Rodriguez will likely be competing with Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, who was the man behind the franchise transformation from rebuilding team to contender.
Both men are deserving of the award, but you could make a case for Rodriguez being more complete given the speed element he offers.
He is also 21, which means he will be leading the charge for the up-and-coming Mariners for years to come.
It’s hard to think about a more impactful rookie in recent memory, as J-Rod accumulated 5.3 Wins Above Replacement, or WAR.
That is MVP-like performance.
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