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# MVP Season Loading? Mariners' Julio Rodriguez Off to Best Start of Career
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/mvp-season-loading-seattle-mariners-julio-rodriguez-best-start-career/
- Published: 2026-06-02T19:58:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:55:47.000Z
- Author: Nick Lee
- Tags: Analysis, Mariners, Julio Rodriguez

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="6875"\]

![  Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) hits a double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_29092470-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) hits a double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

Every Seattle Mariners fan knows this fact: Typically, Julio Rodriguez is a slow starter every season. Once the spring chill turns to summer heat, so does his bat. For the first four seasons of his MLB career, his average OPS through the end of May each season has been .716\. Far below his career mark, which is flirting with .800.

This season, however, he seems to be bucking that trend, coinciding with Seattle starting to get hot right before the temperatures match.

It’s made his stats so jarring so far this season. Even with some of the Mariners lineup taking most of April to thaw, Rodriguez has been a steady presence. Let’s take a look at his numbers each season through the end of May.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/julio-may--format-original.jpg)

In just about every category, Rodriguez is either near or beyond his career best mark through the end of May.

Currently, you won’t find him near most leaderboards for American League hitting stats. In fact, you may not see him as the top name from the Mariners, as Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley are also off to hot starts. Raley, Arozarena, and Dominic Canzone all have higher OPS+ right now than Rodriguez. So why does the title of this article mention MVP?

It’s about what the Mariners’ centerfielder typically has been when the Pacific Northwest summer hits. He is a career .297 hitter with a lifetime .902 OPS in the second half each season. He averages 26.5 at bats per home run in the first half. That rate is nearly cut in half after the All-Star break, at 15.3 at bats per homer.

In other words, if Julio plays like he typically does when the weather turns warm, watch out, rest of the American League.

Let’s start right from the jump - it’s really hard to win an MVP award. Names like Mike Piazza, Manny Ramirez, Mel Ott, Jim Thome, Mark McGwire, Derek Jeter, and Dave Winfield never won a Most Valuable Player in their careers. Ken Griffey Jr. somehow only won one.

Is Julio Rodriguez heading for his name being removed from the “zero MVPs” club? Wouldn’t that be funny, a year after Cal Raleigh finished runner-up to Aaron Judge?

Speaking of Judge, as long as that guy is swinging the bat in Yankee pinstripes, he will be tough to dethrone. He leads the American League in odds to win MVP, at -130\. Rodriguez is currently sixth at 25-1.

Even if Judge somehow doesn’t win, Bobby Witt Jr. and Yordan Alvarez will also be tough to usurp. Witt currently has the highest fWAR in the AL at 3.6, clearing second place by 0.9 WAR. Alvarez is pummeling everything in sight in Houston, leading the AL in homers and owns an astronomical 1.050 OPS. Ben Rice currently leads the AL with a 1.056 OPS and 188 wRC+.

Sure, Rodriguez has some serious work to do to match these titans blow-for-blow throughout the summer. But if history is any indication, he certainly can do that. Year after year, Rodriguez has been one of the top performers of the second half in baseball.

If he can still reach that level with the numbers he has already put up, trying to put a cap or a ceiling on what he can accomplish would be a fool’s errand.