Mariners analyst Jon Morosi talks about Julio Rodriguez's outlook for 2026
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During this offseason, MLB.com released some early outlooks for the upcoming season. In the course of their prognostications, they selected Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez as the favorite to with the 2026 American League Most Valuable Player Award. That's gotten many fans and observers believing this could be a huge year for the three-time All-Star.
With J-Rod now set to take center stage as perhaps the best all-around player in baseball, MLB analyst Jon Morosi discussed with Seattle Sports about what the season might have in store for the Mariners' 25-year-old star.
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"I do think that [Rodriguez] will figure it out and start to put it all together," Morosi stated on a recent episode of Wyman and Bob. "He's so talented, and he's still only 25. I know that we've talked about his age before; you look at the top prospects list, and there are some 23-year-olds on it. Julio's 25, and he has all this time already in the big leagues."
Is J-Rod ready to be the Most Valuable Player?
So, what's the final verdict on Julio Rodriguez in 2026? Is this the year he goes from great to spectacular in the eyes of fans and (most of all) the MVP voters? Morosi indicated that he thinks it's J-Rod's time --- provided he can maintain his patience and consistency.
"I think at times, through no fault of his own, Julio tried to force the results," Morosi added during the discussion. "He didn't seem to do that as much last year, down the stretch. He kind of just let the game come to him and let his talent take over."
"I may be wrong, but I think he's solved those times when he was a little inconsistent. And, I think we're going to see a better wire-to-wire season from him. By the way if he puts together that wire-to-wire year? Then, he's going to win an MVP."
