Actually, Mariners OF Julio Rodríguez Deserves to Make All-Star Team No Matter What
Back on June 30, I analyzed the All-Star hopes for Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez. Frankly, I did not enter—nor come away from—the piece feeling like his odds were relatively high, banking most of the argument on his marketability and first baseman Ty France (left arm) not being able to return from the 10-day injured list in time for the Midsummer Classic.
Things can quickly change, however. Over the five games Rodríguez has played in since that article was written, he has gone 6 for 18 with three home runs, five RBI, a double, a triple, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Not only has that helped lead the Mariners to a 4-1 record at a critical moment in their season, but it has catapulted him ahead of Kyle Tucker for third amongst American League outfielders in fWAR (2.9), trailing only Mike Trout and Aaron Judge.
Rodríguez was not one of the top-five vote-getters at his position, so despite the metrics suggesting he's the AL's third-most valuable outfielder, he will not get an opportunity to start. Judge is already guaranteed a starting nod after finishing the first round of balloting with the most votes of anyone in the AL, putting the final two spots up for grabs between Trout, George Springer, Giancarlo Stanton and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
But no matter how you slice it, Rodríguez has been an equal or better all-around player than all of the outfielders mentioned besides Trout and Judge. Here's how he stacks up against Springer, Stanton, Gurriel and a few other candidates:
| Julio Rodríguez | George Springer | Giancarlo Stanton | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | Kyle Tucker | Adolis García | Andrew Benintendi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AVG | .275 | .254 | .245 | .295 | .259 | .250 | .314 |
OBP | .335 | .338 | .328 | .350 | .351 | .291 | .380 |
SLG | .489 | .481 | .519 | .433 | .490 | .473 | .400 |
HR | 15 | 15 | 20 | 5 | 16 | 15 | 3 |
RBI | 43 | 38 | 53 | 34 | 56 | 51 | 31 |
XBH (NON-HR) | 18 | 14 | 5 | 21 | 12 | 19 | 14 |
SB | 20 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 1 |
wRC+ | 140 | 129 | 139 | 122 | 143 | 115 | 126 |
OAA | +5 | +1 | 0 | 0 | +3 | +4 | 0 |
fWAR | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
The only name on the above list who presents a strong argument is Tucker, but both he and Rodríguez can co-exist on the same All-Star roster—and they should. Benintendi is also highly likely to get in as the Royals' lone representative, which could round out the AL's outfield with Judge, Tucker, Rodríguez and the two winners of the final vote.
Assuming Trout is one of them, the numbers suggest that whoever loses out, whether it be Stanton, Springer or Gurriel, should not be selected over Rodríguez. Of course, this is ultimately up to AL manager Dusty Baker and his staff to decide.
What Rodríguez has done over the past two-plus months, following a disappointing April, has been incredible to watch. Aside from becoming the fastest player in MLB history to slug 15 or more home runs and steal 20 or more bases on July 4, the 21-year old rookie is tied with Trea Turner as the seventh-most valuable player in all of baseball (2.8 fWAR) since the beginning of May. Only Paul Goldschmidt (3.9), Dansby Swanson (3.6), Rafael Devers (3.6), Yordan Álvarez (3.0), Judge (3.0) and Alejandro Kirk (2.9) are ahead of him on that list.
In that time, Rodríguez has gone 69 for 232 with 15 home runs, 37 RBI, 12 doubles, two triples, 11 stolen bases, 61 strikeouts and 16 walks. That's a 162-game pace of 183 for 616 with 40 home runs, 98 RBI, 32 doubles, five triples, 29 stolen bases, 162 strikeouts, 42 walks and a 7.4 fWAR.
That's an MVP candidate.
So yeah, put Julio Rodríguez in the All-Star Game. Failing to do so would not only be a disservice to him, but baseball fans around the world.
