Julio Rodriguez came to the ballpark Saturday ready for batting practice. He got swimming lessons instead.
The standout Mariners rookie had been thrown out trying for a triple against the Blue Jays on Friday night after taking a spill and then attempting to swim his way to the third-base bag.
Before Seattle's contest vs. Toronto, there was a chalk outline where he took his tumble; floaties for the 21-year-old outfielder; and teammates working to make sure he can swim out of the deep end next time.
It keeps getting better 🤣 pic.twitter.com/2Ffm0mpXgS
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 9, 2022
Rodriguez possesses some of the best speed in the majors, with Baseball Savant ranking his sprint speed in the 97th percentile. But that didn't help him Friday.
MORE: Rodriguez putting himself in elite company with historic start to career
After sending a ball 403 feet to center field (105.3 mph off the bat), Rodriguez raced around the bases hoping to turn what at first looked like a home run into at least three bases. Instead, he tripped as he was approaching third. He attempted to crawl the rest of the way there but was tagged by Jays third baseman Matt Chapman for the first out of the bottom of the first.
MORE: Rookie of the Year odds update
"You have to laugh," Mariners manager Scott Servais said, according to MLB.com. "It's all you can do with it. He's running so hard trying to get to third base. I don't know, he just lost his balance, slipped, I don't know what happened. But that will show up in some blooper reels for many, many years to come."
While his slip-and-slide won't make his 2022 highlight reel, Rodriguez has established himself as the runaway favorite for AL Rookie of the Year. He leads all MLB rookies with 15 home runs and 21 stolen bases, while his .820 OPS ranks fourth among qualifying rookies. Per Fangraphs, he has posted 3.0 fWAR, which also leads all rookies.
