The Seattle Mariners promoted top prospect Julio Rodriguez to their opening day Major League Baseball (MLB) roster.
Rodriguez, 21, starred for World No. 7 Dominican Republic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, going 10 for 24, 417 batting average, with two doubles. He helped his National Team earn a historic bronze medal by hitting a home run in the third-place game against Korea.
Rodriguez played at the same level in the WBSC Americas Qualifier, going 11 for 24, .458 average, with two home runs.
Last year, he also featured on the WBSC Global Game podcast sharing his emotions and his will to represent his country at the Olympic Games.
Rodriguez was born on 29 December 2000 in a small town in northwestern Dominican Republic. He signed at 16 for a US$ 1.75 million bonus with the Seattle Mariners. J-Rod reached the Class A advanced level at 18, one of only three 18-year-old players performing at that level. He became the youngest player invited to the Arizona Fall League and was selected to the Futures All-Star Game 2021 while playing at the Double-A level.
