Mariners All-Star Julio Rodriguez to participate in Home Run Derby
Julio Rodriguez broke the news himself — he’s participating in Monday’s Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium.
Admittedly undecided whether he would participate in recent days, the budding star posted a video announcement on Twitter, with appearances from former Mariners Randy Johnson and Edgar Martinez and NBA writer Shams Charania.
“Breaking news,” Charania said in the video’s opening seconds. “Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez is officially confirmed for the 2022 Home Run Derby.”
Martinez repeated the statement before Johnson added Rodriguez’s familiar mantra, printed on the rookie’s elbow guards: “Welcome to the J-Rod Show.”
The 21-year-old let word spread between games in Seattle’s doubleheader with the Nationals in Washington, D.C. Rodriguez served a reduced one-game suspension Wednesday morning for his role in a brawl in Anaheim on June 26 and returned to the lineup for the second game, batting leadoff.
He’s is the seventh Mariner in team history to participate in the Home Run Derby, and the first since Robinson Cano in 2016. Ken Griffey Jr. won the derby three times and is the only Seattle player to do so — in 1994, 1998 and 1999.
Rodriguez is the only rookie in this year’s derby and joins seven other participants, including Mets infielder Pete Alonso, who won in 2019 and 2021 and would secure a three-peat with another victory (the pandemic canceled festivities in 2020).
Rodriguez debuted for Seattle on April 8 after a better-than-expected spring training gave the team nearly no other choice. On May 1 at Marlins Park, a three-run blast snapped a 20-game homerless streak to start his career and Rodriguez quickly shot up the home run ranks, now with 15. Since May 1, Rodriguez’s 15 homers rank tied for ninth in the American League.
To an ovation at T-Mobile Park on Sunday, Rodriguez was announced as an American League All-Star, tipping his cap to a crowd of 37,694.
“It’s like a dream,” he said. “It’s like a dream that I had as a kid, and being able to achieve that right now, in my first year, I’m definitely really excited about the work that I’ve done.”
Entering the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, Rodriguez is slashing .274/.334/.811 with 89 hits. His 21 stolen bases rank third in baseball and trail only Baltimore’s Jorge Mateo (22) and Miami’s Jon Berti (27). Rodriguez became the fastest player in major league history to reach 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases over his first 81 games, beating Ellis Burks (82 games) and Barry Bonds (90).
Rodriguez will face Rangers infielder Corey Seager in the first round of the derby’s eight-player bracket, televised live on ESPN at 5 p.m. Monday.
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 3:08 PM.
