Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez has won the Rookie of the Year award in the American League for 2022, according to an announcement from the Baseball Writers Association of America. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman finished second in the voting, while Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan checked in third.
This year’s rookie class in the Junior Circuit was remarkable, headlined by Rodríguez and Rutschman. The pair of top prospects both hit the ground running against MLB pitching. Seattle carried Rodríguez on the roster as their Opening Day center fielder, looking to build off their surprising 90-win campaign in 2021. The young outfielder got off to a tough start, thanks in part to a number of questionable strike calls in the early going, but he eventually emerged as the best position player on a good Seattle club.
Over 560 plate appearances, Rodríguez posted a .284/.345/.509 line. He connected on 28 home runs and swiped 25 bases in 32 attempts, one of just four players (Kyle Tucker, Adolis García and Marcus Semien being the others) to reach 25 longballs and steals apiece. Rodríguez was particularly electric in the second half, putting up a .303/.361/.576 line coming out of the All-Star Break to help Seattle cruise to its first postseason appearance in more than two decades.
Rodríguez also impressed on the other side of the ball, starting 130 games and playing 1126 2/3 innings in center field. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast credited him with above-average defense, no small feat for a player whom some prospect evaluators suggested might be a better fit for right field. The 21-year-old looks to have put any questions about his defensive home to bed for the time being.
While Rodríguez is surely thrilled to secure Rookie of the Year honors on its own merits, the selection has a tangible effect on the team as well. The new collective bargaining agreement contained measures designed to counteract service time manipulation through the so-called “prospect promotion incentive.” Top-two Rookie of the Year finishers who were Top 100 prospects on at least two preseason lists at Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline are automatically credited with a full service year. That’s a moot point for Rodríguez, who’d have qualified for a full service year after tallying 172-plus days on the MLB roster regardless. He also signed a massive contract extension midseason that overwrites his path to arbitration and free agency.
The second portion of the PPI does come into effect, though. A team that promotes a player for a full service year who meets the aforementioned prospect criteria and entered the year with less than 60 days of MLB service who subsequently finishes top two in ROY balloting (or top three in Cy Young or MVP voting during their pre-arbitration seasons) earns a bonus draft pick after the first round. Seattle carried Rodríguez on the roster all year, so they’ll collect an extra pick in the 2023 draft in recognition of his achievements.
Rutschman and Kwan check in as runners-up after very strong years in their own right. Baltimore’s catcher hit .254/.362/.445 with 13 home runs in 470 plate appearances. His second-place finish earns him a full year of service time as well. Kwan doesn’t that get that honor for third place, but he earned a full service year after breaking camp in Cleveland regardless. Rutschman’s former teammate at Oregon State, Kwan hit .298/.373/.400 across 638 plate appearances to help the Guards to a division title.
Rodríguez received 29 of 30 first-place votes, while Rutschman collected the other. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, the lone voter to place Rutschman ahead of Rodríguez, explained his thought process in a well-reasoned Twitter thread. Rodríguez was the only player to be named on all 30 ballots. Rutschman was selected on 28 ballots, while Kwan earned 24 combined second or third-place votes. Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña and Mariners righty George Kirby also picked up some support.
Full vote breakdown found here.
“has been won” is the new “has been knew” I’ve heard.
Well deserved. Julio will get many more awards during his baseball career.
Nah that’s great writing.
I think he meant “Julio Rodriguez, has been, won the Rookie of the Year”.
Happy for Adley but not thrilled about losing a year of control. Hope they lock him up long-term
Orioles should have had Adley up at the beginning of the year rather than being a bunch of cheapskates.. Lol it backfired on them
Uh, he was injured for the first month and a half.
‘Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, blueboy714?’…
And he should have been in the Majors last year.
As King mentioned, he was hurt. It wasn’t about money
What a maroon!
Maroon 5
Adley to the Cubs in 2028.
Really couldn’t do wrong with either pick but Rodriguez was the right choice
I’d say the same with Adley being my choice. Catcher is a much tougher position.
Probably saying that only because the Yankees have a better shot to get Adley in a trade or free agency than they ever will with Julio.
It is. And he had an enormous impact on Baltimore’s pitching staff.
But Julio didn’t get the same kind of minor-league seasoning Adley had. Nor college. He skipped AAA and only had 206 AA PAs before being called upon to handle another difficult position, center field, in which he only had 19 games of experience coming into spring training.
He answered the call at just 21 years old.
Worth noting, Julio was getting rung-up on outside pitches almost daily in April all while he was attempting to adjust to MLB pitching. He didn’t expand his zone, and about three weeks later, he broke out, slashing .295/355/.550 with 28 HRs, a .386 wOBA and a 161 wRC+ the rest of the way., despite missing time due to injuries and/or playing through them (HBP, back strain, finger).
Then there’s the fact that he had never played that many games in a season. He showed incredible stamina–especially given his age–all the way through the postseason. Nothing short of incredible.
I think there is an argument for Adley. I just think the argument is stronger for Julio.
What an amazing kid, that Julio!
Always smiling. Greatest smile and attitude fir a young player since Ken Griffey Jr.
This guy is the real deal.
Will Julio get any MVP votes?
Yeah he could land in the top 5 by my uneducated guesswork
Great player. Had the pleasure of seeing him live a few times.
Well deserved.
No surprises. Shouldn’t have even been close. He’s been a class all on his own.
I mean…it wasn’t close…lol
I know what you mean though. I’m shocked Adley didn’t get a few more 1st place votes.
Wow!! 29 of 30 1st place votes. Easily the top rookie.
Who did the lone hold out vote for?
Adley
Jays beat writer was the lone vote for Adley, said it was a toss up but he chose Adley because of the effect he had on the team and his defensive position
Adley being runner up after not having enough time to close the gap with JR because he started the year on the IL was expected, but it’s still a bummer for O’s fans since he receives a full year of service time now and the Orioles don’t get an extra draft pick or even the ability to boast about him actually winning it. Worst of both worlds lol.
Good for him and Julio though, two more likable young superstars in the making that MLB will market the crap out of if they’re smart.
That’s okay, Gunnar will win it next year (fingers crossed)
Or maybe it will be Grayson 😉
Julio took all of mlb down to the schoolyard
I truly hope a lot of posters get this ref…..
Was it his milkshake that brought all the boys to the yard?
To fetch a pail of water?
I was with him. Sincerely, me
Did you fall down and break your crown?
I think we should just referred to him as Julio. Kind of like Ichiro, Cher, prince, Bo, Magic
One more great year and he gets a 1st name only distinction.
Cher had a 36 yo bf. Never retiring lol
I thought he was 19?
There’s a 40 year difference in age. So, he’s got to be at least 50.
Hard to argue with a historic rookie season. Well deserved.
Rodriguez was definitely the top rookie. Jeremy Pena hit 22 HRs, 22 doubles, replaced Carlos Correa, won a gold glove. Should have been 2nd, even leaving out the post-season ALCS and Workd Series MVP awards that he won. Kwan should have been 3rd and Rutschmann 4th given he only played half a season.
Thinking the same thing. Peña deserved to finish second.
Nice class of rookies in the American conference this year
Adley actually played more then 2/3 of the season. He was easily number 2 and had the only legitimate argument to be the rookie of the year over Julio. Peña and Kwan had very good rookie campaigns but they were a distant 3rd and 4th.
Adley 70R, 13Hrs, 42RBI, .254 BA
Peña. 72R, 22Hrs, 63RBI, .253 BA
Peña won a Gold Glove…. Distant 3rd and 4th?
That’s the first thing that caught my eye. In what world does Bobby Witt beat out Pena? And which writer thought Witt was better than Rutschman?
These writers need to write articles about their votes. or just stop voting altogether. Are they too old and don’t know who Pena is? Are they KC writers trying to curry favor with Witt?
I wouldn’t say Pena and Kwan were a distant 3rd and 4th, but I think Adley was pretty deserving of 2nd place. Despite missing the first month+ of 2022, he put up one of the 3-5 greatest rookie seasons for a catcher in baseball history by measure of WAR and broke the Orioles team record for most doubles by a rookie (previously held by some dude named Cal Ripken Jr.).
Catchers don’t play every day, so why are you using counting stats lol
Salvador Perez enters chat.
That’s ridiculous. See above
People that don’t really understand baseball and what makes a winner would simply look at some numbers on the stat sheet and say this guy or that guy was better. The fact is Adley didn’t have the counting numbers on the stat sheet but he is a catcher who plays gold glove caliber defense and hits to a 133 WRC plus his pitchers love to throw to this guy oh and the Orioles took off as a team when he took over behind the plate.
Adley didn’t have the counting stats that everyone looks at but he was the most valuable rookie in baseball and he will be the most valuable and make the most difference to his team then all of those guys moving forward. This is saying a lot because they are all excellent players but they won’t have the impact that he will for the next 5 years.
Doug You all seem to forget about Bobby Witt JR. He and Julios stats were very similar and he should have finished at least second. Pena stats are a bit overblown playing with short porch in left in cheatertown
Sure, loser, Witt played under no pressure in loser-town. World Series MVP>>>>>Witt.
I guess you dougen’t see Julio’s stats.
I guess Bobby Witt Jr. is invisible
Naw ,
Kwan was better and he played the whole year
NOTE:
Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the 116 pitches seen by Kwan are the most without a swing and miss for any batter to start his career among players to debut since 2000.
I’m shocked….that it wasn’t unanimous
“WAR” got to the one guy, but its a flawed stat when comparing people at different positions and catcher being a historically bad position.
IIRC all the various season voting items are done & submitted BEFORE the post-season started..
The Mariners churned out a lot of young talent this year. In addition to Julio, we saw George Kirby (who got some votes), Cal Raleigh, Penn Murfee, Matt Festa, Matt Brash, plus the breakouts of Logan Gilbert, Andres Muñoz, and Erik Swanson (not so young, but better late than never).
And next year they could turn to another seven arms on the farm that have all impressed: Travis Kuhn, Prelander Berroa, Bryan Woo, Isaiah Campbell, Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller, and Taylor Dollard.
Correction: George Kirby got ‘a’ vote.
Cal Raleigh used up his rookie eligibility in 2021. If not, he might have received a vote or two himself (below Julio, Adley, Peña, and Kwan, but competitive with the others).
Yeah, it would’ve been crazy to see three different Mariners get votes. Cal had just passed the number of active days and AB limits.
Huge year for player development.
So Adley gets credited with exactly one year of service time for 2022, correct?
Yep, there goes the dynasty.
Rodriguez and Michael Harris are the clear ROYs. I love Strider but Harris could have made a run at MVP had he played a full season his numbers were that good. Oh and he plays a gold glove CF too.
But who’s the ROY. If you voted for all mlb which makes sense how would you rank them ? Julio 1 Adley 2 Harris 3 etc ? Just asking
Silly to have two awards. One for each half league lol
1. Harris
2. Rodriguez
3. Pena
4. Strider
5. Rutschman
I have Pena at three because he played SS and while his OBP wasn’t great he was still huge for the Astros and he played a full season.
2nd Mariner to win the award after Alvin Davis in 1984 if not mistaken.
Ichiro Suzuki won both the ROY and MVP awards.
Yeah, that Ichiro fella had a GREAT “rookie” year!
Kyle Lewis won it in the shortened 2020 “season” , I mean charity tournament.
I thought Griffey had won it as well, but he finished third.
Sasaki won it the year before Ichiro arrived.
He is the 5th Mariner to win it, Davis, Sasaki, Suzuki, Lewis, Rodriguez…….close though.
All of the other winners were literally cited before you commented.
Steven Kwan was the best of the three. Deserved the award!!
Steven Kwan was the best of the three. Deserved the award!
No matter how many times you repeat it, it won’t be true.
But Kwan was great, too. Nothing to feel bad about.
Well deserved. That dude can play ball.
Should have been unanimous TBH
And Jeremy Pena finally doesn’t win an award, though I’m sure he’s happy with the other 3 he won.
Steven Kwan was better all around than both Rodriguez and Rutschman
Yeah this vote was much like the mid-term elections
Ken Griffey or A Rod weren’t ROY?
Walt Weiss beat out Griffey for ROY in 1989.
Griffey kinda started slow and then missed the rest of the season at the end when he broke his finger. Weiss won after a solid rookie year on the World Series champs in a lineup full of big hitters. Was pretty good with the glove as well.
Arod did not win because he was not eligible in 96, as he had used up his abats during his brief call up in 94 and late season callup in 95…….didn’t play much or very well, but he used up his rookie limits during those two (its like 160 abats or something in that range).
Carroll will win the N.L.R.O.Y. In 23.
Props to both winners this year , looking forward to two HOF careers.
Not shocking, I saw the kid at a game in SD and he hit one off the Western Metal building. He’s going to be good for a long time.
Sorry, but the voters blew it.
Anyone that watched Kwan all year…and he played all year(which should be a necessary component of the award), would change their vote to Kwan. Slap hitter and gold glove defense (especially) merit Kwan the award. He simply did not strike out let alone swing and miss much as he continually put the ball in play.
Julio played all year as well, save two short trips on the 10 day IL.. Kwan did not play in every game either, only appearing in 147 to Julio’s 132. Julio was basically playing a new position to him and by the middle of the year he was playing at a plus level. Good for Kwan for winning a GG, but a sub 800 OPS to an .853 OPS is gonna win you the award. 147 OPS+ for Julio, with Kwan at 124 OPS+. Julio had more stolen bases as well. 6.2 WAR vs 5.5, and that was in 15 less games. Give Julio 15 more games from injury missed and he likely is a 30/30 at 21 years old as a rookie.
Julio however made the team as the starting CF out of camp. He played the whole year. In no reality does Kwan win the award over Julio. Not sure why you guys are so jaded over this.
You must have enjoyed Julio’s 145 strikeouts…28% of the time he NEVER put the ball in play
Kwan struck out but 60 times
10% of the time
Physically, they are different. Pound for pound , Kwan is the superior ball player, an incontrovertible fact.
Baseball is not won by the weight of the players.
Kwan will most likely never win an MVP with his skill set, but Julio has the potential to win several during his career. Given a choice between an excellent leadoff hitter like Kwan and a legit MOO hitter who may post multiple 30/30 seasons over the next decade+, maybe even a 40/40, I’m taking the latter all day everyday and I suspect virtually every GM in baseball would agree.
I’d take Adley over either though, however. Having a catcher who is legitimately elite both defensively AND offensively is pretty much the most valuable individual position player you could ask for from a roster construction perspective.
AL had some amazing rookies this year. Won’t see it this stacked for a long time.
This guy was supposed to be a lumbering big corner OF coming up, to be a near gold glove quality CF out of the gate is really incredible and not talked about enough. And if you see any picture with him next to someone who’s height is known i think he’s at least 6’5″. Crazy talent
Positing this on every thread that pops up!!!! This is the problem with baseball. The writers determine everything! ESPN has Alcantara winning cy young in a landslide 13-0. Ok. Here are some FACTS!!!! 17 earned runs to Philly in 6 games…..7 earned runs in 2 games against the dodgers…..10 earned runs against the Mets in 3 games. 5 earned runs against Seattle in 1 game. That’s the cy young? really? He beat non playoff teams up! That’s the cy young! Are you kidding me?????
You conveniently left out the Braves, Cardinals, and Padres. I’m calculating about 2.50 ERA against all playoff teams.