MLB.com, the official homepage of the major leagues, predicted that Julio Rodriguez (23, Seattle Mariners) would become the American League MVP for the 2023 season.
Rodriguez is a young man in his early 20s, but has already established himself as a mainstay of the team. A native of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez joined Seattle in 2017 as an international amateur free agent. Debuting in the big leagues in 2022, he was hailed as a typical five-tool player. 스포츠토토
Rodriguez had an overwhelming debut season. He appeared in 132 games and had 145 hits in 511 at-bats, 28 home runs, 75 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, a batting average of 0.284, a slugging percentage of 0.509, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.854. He became the first man in major league history to record 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in his debut season. He performed unbelievably for a rookie and won the American League Rookie of the Year award and the Silver Slugger in the outfield category.
Seattle also has high hopes for Rodriguez. He has already promised to accompany Rodriguez on a long-term contract. In August of last year, Seattle signed a 12-year guaranteed contract with Rodriguez, including a five-year player option, and can extend the contract for up to 17 years. If Seattle and Rodriguez remain in contract through 2017, the deal will increase to $470 million. It is truly a huge contract condition.
MLB.com predicted that Rodriguez would continue to play in 2023. The media analyzed that “Rodriguez will record a WAR of 5.9 or more. This is the third highest figure after Juan Soto (estimated WAR 7.1) and Aaron Judge (6.9),” and analyzed that Rodriguez will be the MVP leader.
The media continued, “Rodriguez’s 50.7% batting average ranks in the top 5% in the major leagues. His barrel hitting percentage reached 13.1%. He was also one of 10 players to hit a home run of 117 mph or more.” It’s 29.8 feet per second, and it’s in the top 2%.”
“Rodriguez can exceed WAR 6. I’m often conservative when it comes to predicting players’ performance, but Rodriguez is an exception. His performance is no coincidence,” he said, confident that Rodriguez will grow further.
This is Rodriguez, who has shown the potential to develop into a major league superstar from his debut season. I wonder if Rodriguez will be able to win MVP.