The Mariners' Brightest Young Star will Finally have a Chance to Shine in the Spotlight
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For a large part of the 2025 season, much of the attention garnered by the Seattle Mariners centered around their All-Star catcher, Cal Raleigh, and his quest for 60 home runs and the MVP Award. And rightly so, it was a year of milestones for the backstop. However, as the postseason arrives, one young superstar may shine brighter than anyone else on the roster.
Outfielder Julio Rodriguez has been to the playoffs before, during his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2022, when the prodigy was still establishing himself. Since then, he's gone on to collect two Silver Slugger Awards and is a two-time member of the 30-30 club. Not too bad for a kid who is still just 24.
This season, Rodriguez put up his usual type of numbers, finishing up with a .276 batting average, with 32 home runs, 95 RBI, and 30 stolen bases. He's been consistently around those same marks throughout his still-young career. That consistency, along with his attitude and work ethic, was why Seattle inked him to a 12-year contract extension worth $210 million guaranteed, and loaded with performance incentives. The team essentially decided to make him a 'Mariner For Life' once they got a glimpse of his incredible potential.
Julio Rodriguez Could be the Talk of the Playoffs
In 2022, Rodriguez was not ready to lead his team to the World Series, and that year's squad didn't have the depth or talent that this year's version of the Mariners has. And while J-Rod has been celebrated in Seattle, there are prognosticators out there that don't believe he's reached his full potential.
"He's breathtaking," ESPN researcher/insider Paul Hembekides said earlier this Summer. "And I think the fact that we've seen him go nuclear for as long as a stretch as we've seen him go nuclear, it demonstrates that we know this is in his bag. So he becomes everyone's tantalizing 'February MVP.' Because this is going to be the year that he puts it together. But the problem is, his swing, the actual mechanical nature of his swing, isn't good enough."
While it's a fair criticism, it also motivates Rodriguez to finally prove that he's an elite MLB player. Even more than Raleigh, the talented centerfielder needs a big October to convince the critics that he's not only an MVP-caliber player, but a top-notch team leader as well. More than stats, All-Star appearances, and all the rest, those Fall memories are the difference between being just really good... or being remembered as a legend.
