Can anyone take their eyes off Julio Rodríguez when the Mariners are playing? He’s been simply electric with play that demands recognition. But Rookie of the Year is a relative award. So we sat down to assess the state of the field in the American League. There are three clear tiers: a two-man race at the top between Julio and the Astros’ Jeremy Peña; a trio of solid players who could very plausibly win if they pour it on in the second half; and a set of dark horses that can’t be counted out.
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Tier 1: The Frontrunners
Julio Rodríguez
While Peña remains the favorite, Julio currently has better odds some places than Peña for ROY, a fact that incenses Astros fans because Peña has some better numbers due to Julio’s slow start, although marginally so: the big difference is Peña has about fifty points more of slugging, and strikes out a tidier 23% of the time compared to Julio’s 30%.