Seattle Mariners Star Working to Join Future Hall of Famer in Team History
Seattle Mariners superstar Julio Rodriguez needs two more stolen bases to link himself with future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki in team history.
Per Mariners PR:
Julio Rodríguez is 2 stolen bases away from joining Ichiro Suzuki as the only players in Mariners history to steal 20+ bases in each of their first 3 Major League seasons.
Rodriguez has 18 steals right now after registering 25 in 2022 and 37 in 2023. He has only attempted one stolen base since returning from the injured list in mid-August, so it's unknown how much he'll run the rest of the way. However, he looks healthier and healthier each time he plays, so you have to imagine that he'll eventually get there. His ability to run is a major feature of his game.
It's been a frustrating year for Rodriguez, who is hitting just .255 and missed three weeks with that high-ankle sprain. He has 13 homers and 44 RBI, but he's homered in back-to-back games so maybe he's starting to come out of his season-long slumber.
If the Mariners are going to track down the Houston Astros in the American League West race, they are certainly going to need him to get hot.
One of the best pure hitters in baseball history, Ichiro amassed 3,089 hits in his United States career. He was a lifetime .311 hitter who stole 509 career bases. He played 19 total seasons in the big leagues.
Ichiro won a laundry list of awards including Rookie of the Year (2001) and MVP (2001). He was a two-time batting champion, a 10-time Gold Glover, a 10-time All-Star and a three-time Silver Slugger.
He played parts of 14 seasons with the Mariners, three with the Yankees and three with the Marlins. Remarkably durable throughout his career, he never played less than 136 games in a season until age 44.
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