Julio Yarnel Rodríguez Jr. (born December 29, 2000), nicknamed "J-Rod", is a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He signed with the Mariners as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2017 and made his MLB debut in 2022. In his rookie season, he was named an All-Star along with winning the

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters cons ...

and

American League Rookie of the Year Award In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

Early life

Rodriguez was born in

Loma de Cabrera Loma de Cabrera is the second largest city in the province of Dajabón, Dominican Republic. It is located in the northwest portion of the country, in the Cibao region. The river named ''Dajabón'', also known as Masacre, runs through Loma de Cabr ...

, a town of roughly 20,000 people, in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

Professional career

Minor leagues

Rodríguez signed with the

at 16 years of age as an international

in July 2017 for a

bonus Bonus commonly means: * Bonus, a Commonwealth term for a distribution of profits to a with-profits insurance policy * Bonus payment, an extra payment received as a reward for doing one's job well or as an incentive Bonus may also refer to: Place ...

of $1.75 million. He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level

Dominican Summer League Mariners The Dominican Summer League Mariners or DSL Mariners are a Minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. They play in the Boca Chica South Division. They are a Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional b ...

in 2018, playing primarily

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

and batting .315/.404/.525 (7th in the league) with 50 runs, nine triples (tied for the league lead), five home runs, 36 RBI, and 10 stolen bases without being caught in 219 at-bats over 59 games. He was over three years younger than the average player in both leagues. He was named both a DSL mid-season All-Star and a ''Baseball America'' DSL All-Star. Rodríguez started 2019 with the Class A

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

in the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. He missed part of the season with a fractured left hand. He was promoted to the Class A-Advanced

Modesto Nuts The Modesto Nuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Modesto, California, and are named for the several types of nuts grown in the region. They play the ...

in the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

in August, becoming one of only three 18-year-olds in all of minor league baseball to play High-A ball in 2019. Over 328 at-bats in 84 games between the two teams playing right field and

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...

, he slashed .326/.390/.540 with 63 runs, 26 doubles, 12 home runs and 69 RBI, and was 10th in the

with a .490 slugging percentage. He was named a California League Player of the Week on September 2, and an MiLB Organization All Star. In September 2019, he was the Mariners' No. 2 prospect, and the No. 25 prospect in baseball. Rodríguez played in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

for the

Peoria Javelinas The Peoria Javelinas are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The Javelinas play their home games in the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility for the Sa ...

following the regular season, at 18 the youngest player in the AFL, and batted .288/.397/.365 in 52 at-bats. He was named an AFL Rising Star. In June 2021, Rodriguez started play with the

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity o ...

. After a few months, he was promoted to the Double-A

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

. Rodríguez was selected to play in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. In August 2021, he was ranked No. 1 on the Mariners prospect list and No. 2 on the MLB top 100 prospect list. The Mariners added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft after the 2021 season.

Seattle Mariners

2022 season: AL Rookie of the Year

Rodríguez made his major league debut on

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

, April 8,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, as the starting center fielder versus the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. After starting the season 1-for-21 with 12 strikeouts, Rodríguez took off. On May 1, Rodríguez hit his first career home run, a three-run shot off of

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

ace

Sandy Alcántara Sandy Alcántara Montero (born September 7, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an international free agent in 2013, and made his MLB ...

. He was named American League (AL) Rookie of the Month consecutively for May and June, 2022. In June, he played 29 games, scored 22 runs, and hit .280/.361/.542 with seven home runs, 16 RBI, and five stolen bases. Rodríguez kept up his great performance in July, during a stretch in which the Mariners won 14 consecutive games and jumped into playoff discussions. On July 15, he hit his first career grand slam to put a game against the Texas Rangers out of reach. In July, he played 19 games, scored 12 runs, and hit .267/.337/.547 with five home runs, 18 RBI, and two stolen bases. He however did not win rookie of the month in July with the award going to Jose Miranda who put up superior numbers. Rodríguez was selected to the

2022 MLB All-Star Game The 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 92nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held between the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). The game was hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers at Do ...

roster, making him the sixth Mariner rookie to do so. Rodríguez also participated in the Home Run Derby, where he hit 81 home runs across three rounds, and placed second behind

Juan Soto Juan José Soto Pacheco (born October 25, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals. Soto signed with the Nation ...

. During a game on August 23 against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

, Rodríguez hit his 20th home run of the 2022 season, making him the sixth player in Seattle Mariners history to join the 20–20 club, and the fourth player in MLB history to do so in their first MLB season. On September 14, he became the first player to join the 25–25 club in his debut season. On August 26, Rodríguez signed a 14-year contract extension worth up to $400 million with the Mariners. In 2022, Rodríguez batted .284/.345/.509 (8th in the AL) with 84 runs, 28 home runs, 75 RBI, 25 steals (fifth), and 140 strikeouts in 511 at-bats, with a 26.4 power-speed number (second), while leading the AL outfielders in both range factor/9 innings (2.88) and errors (6). At 21 years of age, he was the youngest

qualified batter This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. ...

in major league baseball. Rodríguez won the

and the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

2023 season

On April 7, 2023, Rodríguez hit a tiebreaking two run home run in the sixth inning against the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

. With this home run, Rodríguez became the fastest player in Mariners history to 30 home runs, doing so in 140 games. On July 10, Rodríguez hit 41 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby against

Pete Alonso Peter Morgan Alonso (born December 7, 1994), nicknamed "Polar Bear" and "Big Meat Pete"," is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut during the 2019 season and br ...

, breaking the Derby record for most home runs in a single round. In August, Rodríguez went on a tear at the plate that equaled or surpassed marks not achieved since the early 20th century. From August 16 to August 19, Rodríguez broke the MLB record for most hits in a four-game span with 17, the most since at least 1901. During those four games, Rodríguez went 17-for-22, hit 2 home runs, recorded 8 runs-batted-in, and stole 5 bags. He had 28 hits in 10 games, a number not reached since

Kenny Lofton Kenneth Lofton (born May 31, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. Lofton was a six-time All-Star (1994–1999), four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993–1996), and at retirement, was ranked 15th amon ...

in 1997, and during that stretch had 5 four-hit games, not recorded as having happened since 1900. Further, he had a total of 5 four-hit games during the month; only

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the las ...

, with 6 in 1921, had more. In early September, he became the first player in MLB history to record 25 home runs and 25 steals in his first two seasons. On September 11, 2023, Rodríguez hit his 30th home run of the season, making him the 44th player to join MLB's

30–30 club In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 30–30 club is the group of batters who have collected thirty home runs and thirty stolen bases in a single season. Ken Williams was the first to achieve this, doing so in 1922. He remained the sole member ...

. In 2023, Rodríguez batted .275/.333/.485 with 32 home runs and 37 stolen bases, and led the AL in infield hits (29). He won his second consecutive

while also being a finalist for the AL

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

in center field. He finished fourth place in AL Most Valuable Player voting.

Personal life

Rodríguez is currently dating

OL Reign OL Reign is an American professional Women's association football, women's soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Bill and Teresa Predmore in 2012 as Seattle Reign FC, it was one of eight inaugural members of the National Women's S ...

Canadian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player

Jordyn Huitema Jordyn Pamela Huitema ( ; born May 8, 2001) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for National Women's Soccer League club OL Reign and the Canada national team. She scored her first national team goal at the age of 16 ...

. In January 2023, Rodríguez donated an

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

to his hometown's civil defense headquarters. Prior to his donation, the town did not have an ambulance for emergencies. He also gifted baseball equipment and toys to the children in his hometown.

Awards and accolades

*Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Rookie (2022) *2×

(AL Outfielder, 2022–23) *

Rookie of the Year Award A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

(AL Outfielder, 2022) * All-MLB Second Team (AL Outfielder, 2022)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Julio 2000 births Living people American League All-Stars Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Mariners players Everett AquaSox players Leones del Escogido players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Modesto Nuts players Olympic baseball players for the Dominican Republic Olympic bronze medalists for the Dominican Republic Olympic medalists in baseball Peoria Javelinas players Seattle Mariners players Silver Slugger Award winners West Virginia Power players 2023 World Baseball Classic players People from Dajabón Province