Mariners CF Julio Rodrguez named AL Rookie of the Month for May – Seattle Sports

Everything clicked in the month of May for Mariners center fielder Julio Rodrguez and for his excellent play, he was named American League Rookie of the Month.

Rodrguez is the fifth Mariners player to be named AL Rookie of the Month, joining Ichiro (2001), Rafael Soriano (2003), Michael Pineda (2011) and Mike Carp (2011). It is the eighth time a Mariners rookie took home the honors, as Ichiro was AL Rookie of the Month four times in 2001, when he was named Rookie of the Year as well as AL MVP.

Rodrguez started all 28 games in May for the Mariners and put together a .309/.339/.527 slash line while slugging six home runs, driving in 17 runs and stealing five bases while continuing to play well defensively in center field. That great month came after Rodrguez struggled a bit in April, slashing .206/.284/.260 with no home runs and just four extra-base hits. Rodrguez is now slashing .272/.322/.424 this season in 50 games played.

In May, Rodrguez paced all American League rookies in hits (34) and wRC+ (156) and was tied for the lead in home runs and stolen bases. His .309 batting average was fourth among AL rookies last month while his 17 RBIs were second-most.

Rodrguez also had nine multi-hit games as well as six three-hit games in May. He also joined Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only Mariners players 21 years old or younger to reach base five times in a single game when he went 4-for-4 with a walk and home run in New York on May 15.

Rodrguez kicked off the month in a big way, going 3-for-4 against the Miami Marlins on May 1 while hitting his first MLB home run off Sandy Alcantara, one of baseballs top pitchers this season. The ball traveled an estimated 450 feet.

Currently, Rodrguez ranks fourth on the Mariners in wins above replacement with 1.3, trailing only Ty France (2.7), J.P. Crawford (2.3) and Logan Gilbert (1.8). France and Crawford are each among the most valuable players in baseball in terms of WAR this season while Gilbert has been one of the games top pitchers this season. He was named American League Pitcher of the Month in April.

The Mariners open up a three-game set against division rival Texas Friday evening. You can listen to all the action on Seattle Sports Station 710 AM as well as the Seattle Sports app. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 and pregame coverage begins at 4:00. Heres more information on how to listen.

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Mariners CF Julio Rodrguez named AL Rookie of the Month for May - Seattle Sports