Seattle Mariners Outfielder Among Elite List of Historic MLB Players

In the four years since making his major league debut, Rodriguez has become the face of the Mariners. It's become a common thought/phrase that "Seattle goes as far as Julio does." And his value has been evident.

Rodriguez has made an All-Star game in three of his four seasons. He has a 5.2 bWAR (Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement) this season and a 21.2 bWAR for his career, which places him among an elite group of hitters in MLB history.

Rodriguez is among 13 players to ever have over 20 bWAR and make three All-Star games in his first four seasons.

Other players included in that list are: Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Joe Gordon, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Albert Pujols, Evan Longoria, Mike Trout, Francisco Lindor and Mariners legends Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki.

As has been the case in seasons prior, Rodriguez started slow and has gotten hot late. Before the All-Star Break, Rodriguez scored 63 runs in 95 games and hit 17 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs with 50 RBIs. He had a slash line of .252/.313/.417 with a .731 OPS.

Since the All-Star Break, Rodriguez has scored 19 runs in 32 games and has hit seven doubles, a triple and 11 home runs with 21 RBIs. He's slashed .293/.324/.609 with a .933 OPS.

The Mariners are 68-60 and they'll return to play on Friday night at home against the Athletics.