FanPost Friday: Mariners Rookie of the Year edition
Julio Rodríguez is the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award on Monday. FanPost Friday is dedicated to the Mariners Rookie Award winners. Alvin Davis won the award in 1984. Kazuhiro Sasaki won it in 2000. The last two years the winner of Rookie award was a reliever. Five relievers have won Rookie awards since then. The evolution of pitchers in MLB mirrors the evolution in the game.
Ichiro won Rookie of the Year in his rookie season. Kyle Lewis played well in the 2020 season, but his future with the team is uncertain. Julio Rodríguez's final stat line in 2022 was impressive. He made the postseason for the first time in 21 years. He was developed by the Mariners in their system. His future is bleak. It was a running joke at LL that people under-appreciate Julio. Now it's true. The team invested in him as a teen in Dominican Republic and developed him in MLB. They also invested heavily in developing him over the course of 4.5 years in minors.
