MLB Twitter on Julio Rodriguez' AL Rookie of the Year win: "He absolutely deserved that", "The prince that was promised"

Seattle Mariners young star Julio Rodriguez got the nod for the 2022 Jackie Robinson American League Rookie of the Year award. The superstar edged out fellow outfielder and Cleveland's Stevan Kwan and Baltimore backstop Adley Rutschman.

Rodriguez has displayed excellence and consistency in 132 regular-season games for Seattle. He was also instrumental in snapping the longest playoff drought in US sports history after the Mariners made the postseason after 21 years.

".@JRodShow44 is the 2022 Jackie Robinson AL Rookie of the Year! The All-Star helped lead the @Mariners back to the postseason for the first time since 2001!" - @ MLB

Needless to say, Seattle Mariners fans were elated upon hearing the news that their young star claimed what could be the first of many accolades in the years to come.

One fan tweeted:

"He absolutely deserved that. But all three finalists were so much fun to watch."

Another fan stated:

"The prince that was promised!"

Here are some other fan reactions:

With his AL ROTY win, Julio Rodriguez became the second Seattle Mariners player in three years to win the award after Kyle Lewis in 2020. He also became just the fifth greenhorn in the organization's history to win the Rookie of the Year award after Alvin Davis, Kazuhiro Sasaki, the legendary Ichiro Suzuki, and the aforementioned Lewis.

Julio Rodriguez 2022 season stats

Division Series - Houston Astros v Seattle Mariners - Game Three

Owning a slash line of .284/.345/.509 with an OPS of .854, Julio Rodriguez finished the season with 28 home runs, 75 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. His 25/25 home run/stolen base record was the fastest in MLB history in just 125 games.

Rodriguez also leads all rookies in wins above replacement, home runs, slugging, on-base plus slugging percentage, total bases, and wRC+ or the weighted runs created plus. If those statistics weren't impressive enough, the 21-year-old finished second in runs batted in, runs scored, and total bases amongst all first-year players around the league.

The Dominican star started hot off the gate, earning Rookie of the Month for the months of May and June and became the sole rookie in this year's MLB All-Star game in Los Angeles.

If the Mariners can build a successful team with Julio Rodriguez as their centerpiece, they might just fancy themselves a deep postseason run come 2023.