SEATTLE -- This could be the first of many, many awards seasons headlined by the Mariners’ bright young star, Julio Rodríguez. And for Scott Servais, he finds himself in familiar territory for the second straight November.
Unsurprisingly, Rodríguez was announced as a finalist for the American League Rookie of the Year Award and Servais for the AL Manager of the Year Award. Both are among three finalists for their respective honors, which were voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and announced on Monday on MLB Network. The Rookie of the Year winner will be announced next Monday, while the Manager of the Year will be revealed one day later, on Nov. 15.
Seattle’s standout center fielder is up against Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan -- and Rodríguez is the runaway favorite.
The 21-year-old was the only rookie All-Star this year and paced first-year players in virtually every offensive statistical category, including home runs (28), wins above replacement -- by both Baseball-Reference (6.0) and FanGraphs (5.3) -- slugging percentage (.509), OPS (.854), wRC+ (146) and total bases (260). He ranked second in RBIs (75), runs scored (84) and stolen bases (25) and third in hits (145).
Rodríguez also became the first player with at least 25 homers and 25 stolen bases in his debut season, as well as the fastest (125 career games) to reach those feats, surpassing Mike Trout (128).
Rodríguez might’ve had an even gaudier stat sheet had he not missed virtually a month’s worth of action with various injuries, including a right wrist contusion and lower back strain, both in the second half and requiring stints on the 10-day injured list.
Arguably his defining moment of 2022 was the epic showing he put on in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby under the bright lights of Dodger Stadium, where he crushed 81, second most all time in a Derby, while finishing runner-up to Juan Soto. As an exhibition contest, that moment won’t be considered for the AL Rookie of the Year, nor will the fact that he was the lone rookie All-Star this season. But they underscored the charisma and flair that Rodríguez brings in potentially emerging as one of the faces of the game.
If he wins, Rodríguez will join Kyle Lewis (2020), Ichiro Suzuki (2001), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000) and Alvin Davis (1984) as the lone Mariners to take home the hardware. During the final weekend of the regular season, Rodríguez was named the Mariners' MVP, voted on by the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA. Rodríguez has already been named the Baseball America Major League Rookie of the Year, The Sporting News American League Rookie of the Year and the Players Choice Awards American League Outstanding Rookie in 2022.
Winning the AL ROY would come with a $750,000 bonus as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement awarding pre-arbitration-eligible players. Second place will receive $500,000. Money isn’t as much of a factor for Rodríguez, however, after he signed a massive contract extension in August that was negotiated with the intention of spending his entire career in Seattle.
As for Servais, he led the Mariners to 90 wins for the second straight year, joining Lou Piniella as the only managers in club history to do so. Not coincidentally, if Servais wins, he’d join Piniella as the only skippers in Seattle history to win AL Manager of the Year. Servais, who is a finalist with Baltimore’s Brandon Hyde and Cleveland’s Terry Francona, was runner-up in 2021.
After a slow start, with the Mariners 10 games under .500 on June 19 and their season spiraling, Seattle went 61-33 the rest of the way for a .649 winning percentage that was second-best in the AL in that span. It also included a 14-game win streak from July 2-17.
With Servais at the helm, the Mariners had a knack for winning close games, leading MLB with 34 wins in one-run contests while racking up 13 walk-off wins (which tied a franchise record) and 40 comeback wins (third in the AL). They were also 11-5 in extra innings, the AL’s best win percentage.
“His leadership provided a meaningful difference for our team, both on and off the field,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “As always, his focus on pregame preparation set a tone for our group, while his situational awareness and bullpen management were once again critical to our success. It’s tough to imagine a more deserving candidate.”