Mariners outfield prospect Julio Rodriguez has been shut down for the final week of the Arizona Fall League season due to a minor lower back strain, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com.
Evidently, the organization is handling Rodriguez much in the same way as it did Jarred Kelenic, who was likewise shut down after playing just three games in the Arizona Fall League. Johns also notes that another Mariners representative, right-handed pitcher Sam Delaplane, will also have his season end owing to triceps tendinitis.
Delaplane and Rodriguez were selected to participate in the league’s Fall Stars Game last weekend after impressive showings competing against other top prospects. Rodriguez, 18, has turned heads as the youngest player in the league. He has steadily climbed prospect lists after a stellar season in which he reached High-A ball—Rodriguez is now touted by MLB Pipeline as the Mariners’ No. 2 prospect—behind only Kelenic—and the 25th-best prospect in all of baseball. In 84 games across two levels of the lower minors, Rodriguez slashed .326/.390/.540 with 12 home runs.
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Delaplane has enjoyed a breakout season and had been enjoying increased exposure for his performance in the Fall League. He reached Double-A, where he threw 37 innings and struck out 58 batters with a minuscule 0.43 ERA. He’s followed that up with a strong AFL showing, having struck out 15 batters in eight innings of work.
Rodriguez looks like a decent prospect, but flew up boards way too quickly. takes more than a few good weeks to make you a top-flight prospect.
I think it’s more the eye test with him. He’s huge and shows great discipline and power at age 18 with good speed too.
He was highly regarded as an amateur before he signed. And then what he did, at his age, and the levels which he reached, is what has skyrocketed his pedigree. He’s a special talent.
The rankings have more to do with the tools than the results, but the results weren’t just a few weeks. It was his first season stateside and he faced older competition.
He might climb in the rankings even further after a strong AFL showing in which he was the youngest player.
You’ve lost your mind in you think JRod is any less than a top 25 prospect in baseball
Uh, what? It’s cool if you don’t agree with the rankings and all, but what are you trying to point out? Julio Rod’s biggest question coming into the year was “can he play stateside? He has nice video, but surely he’s only choosing highlights to showcase, right?” and then he came over and continued to do the same things he was doing; quite gracefully too. The bat looks good, the character looks great, and heck, even his defense is better than I anticipated. Do you feel like he’s more of a top-33 prospect rather than a top-25 prospect?
Imagine Julio Rodriguez, Gavin Lux, Christian Yelich, Justin Smoak, Josh Donaldson, Marcus Semien, and Tyler Flowers on the same team and they lose the World Series to the Padres.
Ok Benny
drugs are bad.
Huh
That team needs to add Daniel Descalso and Jared Hughes then they’ll be set.
W
How will the Padres make it to the World Series with the Marlins in the NL?
As a 14 year old he was training with Yordan Alvarez. I think the scouts know what they have with him.
Right as the Astros begin to fall off the Mariners will rise to the Top of the AL and then stay there for a decade. They have a lot of young talent coming up.
Except DiPoto will trade the top prospects for some has been veterans. The West will be pretty tough for years.
You Angel haters need to open yours eyes and stop being so bitter. We all get it you hate him OK. He has done a great job here and has refused to trade any of the prospects he has acquired for any vets. He will have to trade some OF prospects because some good players will be blocked.
Figure out who will be the 3 starters in the OF in a year or two. None of the guys playing this year will be out there. Fraley could be the 4th but I doubt it. I was against trading Haniger but now I think they will. They might wait until a few months into the season to get some value back. Depends on the offer they get.
The only thing I agree with your ignorant post is the West will be tough. Trout also wasted his career staying with the Angels. Much like Felix. Being faithful is one thing but wasting away your career on a poor run and low talent teams is silly. I am glad as a fan Felix stayed but for him he should have demanded a trade to go to a team that would win.
One last thing we have 5 players in the top 100. I don’t think we could ever have said that before. It might have happened but I don’t remember.
Pretty sure the M’s had multiple prospects, can’t remember the exact number in the top 100s from about 2010-2013.
They had a top top 5 farm system during those years. I believe even the 1st or 2nd best one during 2012. Nick franklin, Dustin ackley, brad Miller we’re all going to be amazing. They didn’t care to follow through through.