With the rise of Statcast in 2015, MLB teams, fans, and media members have a way to measure things that weren’t measured in the past.
Exit velocity, launch angle, outs above average, baserunning value… you name it, and Statcast has it.
Long story short, analytics and, in this case Statcast, can help us assess a player’s batting, fielding, and baserunning value.
When it comes to all these activities, Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez stands above the rest.
“Julio Rodríguez was the ONLY player to be 90th percentile or better in batting, baserunning AND fielding run value last season,” MLB stats expert Sarah Langs tweeted.
Julio Rodríguez was the ONLY player to be 90th percentile or better in batting, baserunning AND fielding run value last season pic.twitter.com/d1yfs6Dzk7
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 5, 2024
The 50th percentile would be league average performance in those categories.
90th percentile is elite performance, and Rodriguez dominates the arts of hitting, running the bases, and fielding his position masterfully.
The best part is that he recently turned 23 years old: he is a young star and is signed for a very, very long time to be the face of the Mariners.
In 2023, he hit for a good .275 average, he got on base plenty of times, he slugged 32 home runs, scored 102 runs, drove in 103, and stole 37 bases.
Take a minute to digest those numbers.
The power-speed contributions are magnificent, and he is just getting started.
Not only is he fast, but he is also a smart baserunner: it’s not the same thing.
The hitting is thoroughly impressive, and the defense is also outstanding with 12 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2023.
He can do it all on a baseball field, and the Mariners are lucky to have him.
NEXT:
Mariners Send A Special Message To Julio Rodriguez
