Introduction: Welcome back to my blog, as I hope you all are doing well. With more news of MLB's lockout coming out and hopefully coming to an end rather quickly, I decided to go back to my roots and write about the sport that I love the most, baseball.
Having gotten more into the minor leagues over the past few years, I have decided to make a series simply titled: Adam's Prospect Series. The goal of the series is to take one prospect per post and give my outlook on them. When I thought of who I wanted to about first, only one player came to my mind, and his name is Julio Rodriguez. As always, let's roll!!!
To start things off, the Mariners farm system as a whole is one of my favorites, with the Miami Marlins right there at the top for me as well. Seattle's system is one of my favorites, because from top to bottom it is just so complete. Whether it be Rodriguez, Noelvi Marte, George Kirby, or Emerson Hancock, the list seems to go on and on. Even Logan Gilbert and Jarred Kelenic who both recently graduated from minor league status deserve to be mentioned here, as I think their future will be bright as well in Seattle.
Personally, my number one overall prospect in the minor leagues entering 2022 is Julio Rodriguez,, as he has been at the top of prospect lists for a few years now. To answer any possible questions about the others who are ranked around him: Yes, I would take J-Rod over Adley Rutschman, Bobby Witt, Marco Luciano, Spencer Torkelson, or any other player around that coveted top spot. Julio is an outfielder in the aforementioned Seattle Mariners organization, with MLB-ready tools across the board. Looking at his minor league numbers, he has literally killed every level that he has played at. All the way back to the Dominican Summer League (DSL) in 2018, up until now with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers in the recent 2021 season. Here are the career numbers of Julio's three year minor league career:
G: 217 AB: 838 OBP: 412 SLG: 543 R: 177 H: 277 2B: 58 3B: 15 HR: 30 RBI: 152 BB: 98 K:182 SB: 32 AVG: 331
Looking at Mr. Rodriguez's statistics above, I see a five-tool type of player. His scouting grades are just as good as his stat line: Hit: 60 Power: 65 Run: 50 Arm: 60 Field: 55 Overall: 65. Keep in mind that the grades are measured on a 20-80 scale, with a 65 overall grade being in the All-Star tier.
Only 21 years of age, Julio's ETA is 2022, meaning that he will most likely debut in the big leagues at some point this year. Having him in one of my Fantasy Baseball keeper leagues has me even more excited for his much awaited arrival, as I cannot wait to plug him into one of my outfield spots once he is called up.
Throughout my research, I have seen Julio be compared to Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson, current star Ronald Acuna Jr, a prime Matt Kemp, and even the greatest baseball player of this generation, Mike Trout. A few years ago multiple sites would have teammate Jarred Kelenic ranked ahead of Rodriguez, as I would always disagree. The reason I would disagree is simply because of the power tool, as his seemed to always be a bit higher than Kelenic's, while the hit tool was the same. J-Rod's power should produce 30-40 home runs annually, as he should also drive in 90-100 RBI plus with an average anywhere from the .280-.300 range. The number of stolen bases may be the only downfall here, but if he can steal around 10-15 a season that would be fantastic.
His swing is deadly, as he seems to anxiously await each pitch. His bat is always either resting or bouncing a little bit off his broad shoulder, with his elbow high in the air ready to hit the ball out of the park. Being 6'3, his batting stance makes him look like a bit bigger in the box. Position wise, he projects to stick to right field, with the aforementioned Kelenic in either left or center.
Finally, I cannot wait to see Rodriguez play in the Major Leagues this season, as I have mentioned that multiple times before. With that being said, I would not be surprised if we are talking about Rodriguez in a few years like we are now about guys like Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna, Fernando Tatis, etc. Not many players like this come around often, he is just that good!!!
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Final Thoughts: Like I mentioned in the introduction, the Mariners in my eyes are going to be a powerhouse here in a few seasons once all of their young talent comes up from the minors. More importantly though, I hope you all enjoyed my first post in my new prospect series!!! Be on the lookout over the next few days for my next post.
See you at the Ballpark!!!
Adam
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