Where Does Julio Rodríguez's 2022 Season Rank Among the All-Time Great Rookie Years?

There was no mystery about who would win AL Rookie of the Year for 2022.

In a season with more viable preseason candidates for the award than usual, Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez rose above them.

Rodríguez was the best, even as Baltimore Orioles rookie Adley Rutschman became one of the top catchers in the game.

He did it as Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña replaced superstar Carlos Correa with ALCS and World Series MVP performances. Rodríguez was the most consistent rookie throughout, then performed on national stages like the Home Run Derby and AL playoffs.

Voting does not account for postseason performance, but it shows how ready these rookies are for the big stage.

So let's take Rodríguez's AL Rookie of the Year campaign and measure it up with other all-time great rookie years.

For a comprehensive list of the all-time great rookie seasons, check out B/R writer Joel Reuter's work from 2019.

For now, let's stack Rodríguez up against the best rookies since the 1990s.

Kimbrel was named Atlanta's closer as a rookie in 2011 and immediately made his presence known, leading the National League in saves with 46 and earning the first of his eight All-Star appearances.

Not only did this mark the start of a four-year run of him leading the senior circuit in this category, but it set an MLB record for most saves by a rookie.

The right-hander posted a 183 ERA+ and 2.5 rWAR with a 1.04 WHIP, 32 walks and 127 strikeouts in 77.0 innings pitched across 79 appearances.

It can be easy to forget—based on how the past couple of years have gone for Kimbrel—how dominant he was to start his career.

Just to think back to Bellinger's rookie season, when he hit 39 home runs with 97 RBI at age 21, it's so hard to believe there is even a discussion about the Dodgers non-tendering him before he hits free agency.

This is the guy who had a hit and was intentionally walked in his first major league game. The only Dodgers players to be intentionally walked in their MLB debut before Bellinger were Dick Nen in 1963 and Chico Fernández in 1956.

Bellinger's first two career home runs happened in the same game just a few days later, and he hit his first career grand slam within just a couple of weeks.

By late June, Bellinger had tied for the fastest to 20 career home runs (51 games). He seemed on track to be a superstar, even winning NL MVP in 2019.

In 1997, a 23-year-old Garciaparra led all shortstops in fWAR (6.4) as a rookie, besting Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jay Bell and Barry Larkin.

He was named an All-Star and finished eighth in AL MVP voting that season. Garciaparra posted a 123 OPS+ with an impressive .306/.342/.534 slash line.

Garciaparra also set MLB records for RBI by a leadoff hitter (98) and homers by a rookie shortstop (30), the former of which has since been broken. His 11 triples led the AL, and perhaps most impressive, Garciaparra set an AL rookie record with his 30-game hitting streak that season.

He captured the Silver Slugger Award and, like Julio Rodríguez, showed the power to compete in the Home Run Derby and the speed to steal more than 20 bases (22).

This was an interesting season because the Astros were so impressed with Bagwell in spring training that they moved him to first base so that he and already established third baseman Ken Caminiti could both play.

In 1991, Bagwell started his Hall of Fame career by hitting .294 with 15 homers and 82 RBI. Also impressive was Bagwell's plate discipline as a rookie. He was 10th in the NL with 75 walks, and his .387 on-base percentage ranked fifth.

Bagwell also led the major leagues in hit by pitches with 13.

The transition from third to first base was a challenge for Bagwell initially, but it demonstrates how important it was to get his bat in the lineup.

Bryant, like Rodríguez, was part of one of the most impactful rookie classes we've seen in recent memory.

It was the year that brought the likes of Carlos Correa, Kyle Schwarber, Francisco Lindor and Bryant.

But it was Bryant who emerged as NL Rookie of the Year after hitting .275 with 26 home runs, 31 doubles, and 99 RBI, which was the most runs batted in by an NL rookie since Troy Tulowitzki for the Colorado Rockies in 2007.

Bryant became the first player to win the Golden Spikes award as the best amateur player, Minor League Player of the Year, and major league Rookie of the Year in successive seasons.

He did lead the NL in strikeouts with 199, which set a new rookie record. Still, his impact and popularity—Bryant had the best-selling jersey in all of the majors in his rookie season—on a winning Cubs squad were undeniable.

His stellar first stint in the big leagues set the stage for his MVP campaign the following year when the Cubs won the World Series.

Piazza was not a highly touted prospect when he burst onto the MLB scene with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1993.

Manager Tommy Lasorda convinced the front office to draft Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft as a favor to his childhood friend Vince Piazza, Mike's father.

Turns out this was a favor to the game as much as anyone. It had been more than 50 years since a catcher made the type of impact Piazza had in L.A. that year.

In 149 games, Piazza slashed .318/.370/.561 with 35 home runs and 112 RBI. He posted a 153 OPS+ and a 7.0 rWAR. It was the best offensive output by a rookie since 1937, when Rudy York hit .307/.375/.651 with 35 home runs and 101 RBI for the Detroit Tigers.

His ability to hit for power and average was immediately among the game's best, leading to his first 10 seasons being named as an All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner.

As an older rookie at age 27 with an already established career in Cuba, Abreu hit the ground running on the South Side.

He immediately became the major league leader in both slugging (.581) and OPS+ (173). Abreu entered MLB with expectations but still threatened first-year player records at a breakneck pace.

By the end of April, he'd broken the rookie home run and RBI records for the month, which included three multi-homer games and a walk-off grand slam.

Abreu's 29 home runs before that All-Star break ranked second-best in the All-Star era (back to 1933) among all rookies, only behind the 33 by Mark McGwire for the Oakland Athletics in 1987.

This season will always be remembered for the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run race, but anyone who was following baseball in 1998 remembers what kind of phenom Kerry Wood was at the time.

That's because, at age 20, he pitched quite possibly the best game in MLB history. He struck out 20 Houston Astros over nine innings of one-hit baseball. He did not walk a single batter.

Wood was dominant. Then, of course, the Cubs mismanaged Wood and ran him into the ground.

But before that, he led all of baseball in strikeouts per nine innings (12.6). It didn't even matter that Wood missed the last month of the season with elbow soreness (again, they overworked him). He still won Rookie of the Year on the strength of his 13-6 record, 3.40 ERA and 233 strikeouts in just 166.2 innings.

There was deserved skepticism about whether Ohtani could hit and pitch at the same time in the big leagues. But we soon found out he is unlike anyone we've ever seen.

Within his first three days, Ohtani had singled in his first at-bat and struck out six batters in six innings while allowing three runs to pick up his first MLB win.

He then hit three home runs in each of his first three home games, becoming the first Angels rookie to achieve that feat. All of this came before his second career start, in which Ohtani took a perfect game through 6.1 innings before finally allowing a hit, ultimately finishing with 12 strikeouts in seven dominant innings.

His remarkable rookie season (151 OPS+; 127 ERA+) ended with Tommy John surgery, but the foundation was set for a special baseball-watching experience for years to come.

It is interesting to wonder what would have happened with this NL Rookie of the Year race if Fernando Tatis Jr. had not injured his back in August.

But Pete Alonso was the man in the NL that season, falling one vote short of a unanimous decision.

Alonso started the season hot and never really slowed down. He had a hit in his first game, homered in his fourth and blasted nine in his first 26.

Then he won the Home Run Derby and set a MLB rookie record with 53 home runs, which also led the major leagues.

Meanwhile, Alvarez became just the 11th unanimous pick for AL Rookie of the Year in the history of the award.

Alvarez hit 27 home runs with 78 RBI in just 87 games. He slashed .313/.412/.655, and only MVP finalists Christian Yelich and Mike Trout had a higher OPS among players with at least 300 plate appearances.

Rodríguez was the Mariners' best player in the year they finally snapped the longest postseason drought in North American pro sports.

He was masterful from start to finish, from spring training to the postseason, recording a hit in all but one of Seattle's five playoff games.

By season's end, Rodríguez dominated all rookies in most offensive stats, finishing first in homers, OPS, and total bases and second in wRC+, slugging percentage, RBI, runs scored and stolen bases.

Rodríguez joined Mike Trout and Andruw Jones as the only players with at least 28 home runs, 25 stolen bases and 25 doubles in their age-21-or-younger seasons.

He is a rare combination of elite power and speed. But what makes it really special is how instantly he contributed to winning in Seattle.

There is still some dispute as to whether Pujols would've made the Cardinals' Opening Day big league roster if not for Bobby Bonilla's injury.

But Pujols' talent at 21 years old was not lost on anyone in the organization.

Mark McGwire, who was in his final season, famously told manager Tony La Russa that if he didn't "put this guy on the roster for the 2001 season, it might be one of the worst moves you make in your career.''

In 161 games, Pujols posted a .329 batting average with 37 home runs and 130 RBI. He also notched a 1.013 OPS, 157 OPS+ and 6.6 rWAR.

It was the first of 10 straight years of him hitting at least .300, 30 home runs and 100 RBI on his way to becoming one of the best right-handed hitters in baseball history.

Remember when the only question was whether Aaron Judge could match his rookie year, not because of the player himself, but how mind-boggling of a year it was?

He answered that question in 2022, breaking the American League home run record. But don't forget he hit 52 homers as a rookie in 2017.

While he led the AL with 208 strikeouts, he was also the leader with 127 walks and second in on-base percentage (.422) and slugging (.627).

The swing-and-miss aspect of his game was negligible to the bottom line, as he posted a 1.049 OPS, 171 OPS+ and 8.1 rWAR. He finished second to Jose Altuve for AL MVP, which later became controversial when it was revealed the Astros were stealing signs that season.

Ichiro was already an established, 27-year-old Japanese star when he made his MLB debut for the Mariners in 2001.

There was no learning curve.

His 242 hits not only set a rookie record, but it was the most hits by any MLB player since 1930. Ichiro won the AL batting title, MVP and Rookie of the Year, a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award.

It started 10 straight All-Star and Gold Glove seasons for Ichiro, only one of which he did not receive MVP votes.

Prior to his .350 batting average and 56 stolen bases, no player had led his league in both categories since Jackie Robinson in 1949.

Ichiro posted a 7.7 rWAR and 126 OPS+ and helped grow MLB globally as Japanese media covered him extensively.

It is truly a rookie season unlike any other in baseball.

After starting the 2011 season in Triple-A, it didn't take long for Mike Trout to turn into the game-changing player we know him as today. He finished the season with an absurd .326/.399/.564 slash line, with 30 home runs, 83 RBI and 49 stolen bases.

In 139 games played, Trout posted a 168 OPS+ and 10.5 rWAR. It's possible we never see another 10-WAR season from a rookie. He became the first player ever—rookie or not—to clear 45 stolen bases, 30 home runs and 125 runs scored in a single campaign.

The key difference between Trout and Rodríguez is that Trout actually played a nondescript 40 games for the Angels in 2011, but he was limited to just 123 at-bats, seven short of the 130 cutoff to maintain rookie eligibility.

He clearly flipped the switch and became baseball's best all-around player of his generation.