:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71628551/1431097795.0.jpg "AL Rookie of the Year winner: Julio Rodriguez beats out Adley Rutschman for award")
Seattle Mariners OF Julio Rodriguez won AL Rookie of the Year for the 2022 MLB season on Monday. He received 29 of a possible 30 first-place votes. Adley Rutschman, Steven Kwan, Bobby Witt Jr. and Jeremy Pena filled out the rest of the top five.
AL Rookie of the Year
Rodriguez is the second Mariner over the past two decades to take home this award; outfielder Kyle Lewis won it in 2020. J-Rod got off to a slow start in April, but he turned it on once the season reached its second month. He slashed .297/.355/.550 with 28 homers and 16 steals from May 1 on. Despite enduring a couple of stints on the injured list, Rodriguez totaled 28 home runs and 25 steals on the year, becoming the first player in MLB history to go 25-25 in his debut season.
Speed wasn't one of Rodriguez's top tools as he was making his way through the minor leagues, but he kept working on it and turned in a sprint speed this year that ranked in the 94th percentile in MLB. That's just one way Rodriguez was a sabermetric darling in 2022 as his average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate all finished in the 90th percentile or better. The 21-year-old was also a star in center field, racking up seven outs above average.
AL Rookie of the Year odds
Rodriguez closed as the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year. He had -5000 odds and garnered 53 percent of the handle and 52 percent of the bets on DraftKings Sportsbook. Rodriguez had the fourth-best odds (+750) to win this award on Opening Day. He was behind Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (+300), Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (+450) and Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (+600).