"It's Julio's world, we just live in it" "He’s deserved it for sure" - Seattle Mariners fans exhilarated as Julio Rodriguez wins Baseball America's Rookie of the Year award

After a very solid season with the Seattle Mariners, Julio Rodriguez is the recipient of Baseball America's Rookie of the Year award. Although this is not the official MLB award for Rookie of the Year, it is still a great accomplishment.

At the conclusion of every MLB season, Baseball America names one rookie as their Rookie of the Year. This is different from the official MLB award, which is awarded to two members, one from each league. Once the regular season is over, Major League Baseball will announce the winner of that award.

Julio Rodriguez is also the frontrunner to win the award this year, as he has been outstanding for the Mariners. At just 21 years old, Rodriguez has already proved that he is among the best outfielders in the MLB. His efforts this season earned him his first trip to the All-Star game, and most likely the first of many.

Through 129 games played with Seattle this season, Rodriguez has a slash line of .280/.342/.502 totaling to an .844 OPS. He is also one of the few rookies to be a member of the 20-20 club, having 27 home runs and 25 stolen bases.

This is also his first true rookie season, having never played in the MLB prior to this year. A lot of times, rookies will have some time played in the prior season, but not enough to qualify as a full season. This makes Rodriguez's rookie season even more special.

Julio Rodriguez is also a leading force on both sides of the field for a potential playoff team. The Seattle Mariners have a true shot to finally make the playoffs this season after a very long time.

Will Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners finally reach the postseason?

Seattle Mariners v Kansas City Royals

The Seattle Mariners have not reached the playoffs since 2001. To put this into perspective, Julio Rodriguez was not even a year old when the team was last in the postseason. This is a freakishly long time and the Mariners hold the longest playoff drought in North American sports.

The Mariners currently have a record of 83-69 this season. Thanks to the new playoff format, this is good enough for Seattle to hold the third American League Wild Card spot. They currently have a comfortable lead as well, with the Baltimore Orioles trailing by four games.

If the Seattle Mariners can hold on for a few more games, they will reach the postseason for the first time in 21 years.