Julio Rodríguez has a chance to truly live up to Ken Griffey Jr.'s Mariners legacy

Given just how much potential Julio Rodríguez has, the expectations for him in Seattle almost verge on the unreasonable at times. It's why one of the most common narratives surrounding him is that he has underachieved for the Mariners during the first four seasons of his Major League career.

Further pushing this recurring narrative is routinely not getting warmed up until the second half of each season, combined with inevitable comparisons to a certain Ken Griffey Jr. However, if people want to push this comparison and claim that Rodríguez doesn't deserve to be mentioned on the same level as Griffey, then they are being dishonest with not only others, but also themselves.

A comparison of the two players sees a fair split between what both accomplished through the first four seasons of their respective Major League careers. While Griffey has the edge in categories including RBI, slash line, OPS and OPS+, Rodríguez counters with the lead in hits, home runs. stolen bases and overall WAR.

In terms of individual accolades Griffey has admittedly accrued more with three All-Star selections, a trio of Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger Award. Rodríguez isn't doing too shabby though, with three All-Star selections of his own, two Silver Slugger Awards and what should be a pending first Gold Glove of his career.

Julio Rodríguez has had a favorable first four seasons in general

Heck, compare Rodríguez to fellow Major Leaguers as a whole in the first four years of their career, and he comes out favorably. For example, he's one of only three players to top 20 WAR, 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases in his first four seasons, along with Barry Bonds and Bobby Witt Jr. Julio is also the ONLY player in MLB history with over 110 doubles, 110 home runs and 110 stolen bases in his first four seasons.

It's interesting that Rodríguez is still considered underrated despite coming off his best regular season yet, something which Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto commented on prior to Sunday's finale versus the Dodgers. As per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, Dipoto said:

"I think Julio is regarded as a superstar outside of the Seattle market. And here in our market, we expect so much more out of him, and the pressure that we put on him … it’s pretty fascinating. The fact that we get to watch [him] every day, we’re a little spoiled. There is an element of greatness to what he’s done his first handful of years that we probably don’t appreciate."

Jerry Dipto

Despite all the positivity and understanding from those in the know, Rodríguez still has some way to go to get the general masses to truly appreciate just what a special talent he is, whether in general or compared to Griffey specifically. One thing which would really help is a magical playoff run, for which the opportunity is about to present itself to the 24-year-old beginning this coming weekend.

Now in fairness to Rodríguez, Griffey wasn't really a playoff hero as such, albeit in large part due to just three playoff qualifications and 18 total postseason games during his 22-year career in the majors. At the same time, he did absolutely own the Mariners' 1995 postseason, as highlighted by six home runs and a 1.260 OPS.

Stage set for Julio Rodríguez to thrive with the Mariners

Rodríguez has only been to the playoffs once in his career, and the returns were not exactly mind-blowing, with no home runs and a .217 batting average in five games. Although we're prepared to :forgive" him, given that the postseason exposure came during his rookie year and he did warm up as things progressed, with a . 896 OPS over three games versus the Astros in the ALDS.

Regardless, the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year does need to showcase why he is regarded as a generational talent under the bright lights of playoff baseball. It will hopefully help that he's coming in hot following a brilliant second half of the season, with the stage set to finally prove he deserves to be mentioned on the same level as Griffey both in Seattle and beyond.