Mariners' Julio Rodríguez is forcing himself into AL MVP race amid historic season

The Seattle Mariners already have an in-house favorite to win the AL MVP award. Cal Raleigh continues to lead MLB in home runs and is putting up unprecedented offensive numbers for a catcher.

Even if he doesn't take home the hardware at the end of the season, Raleigh will still likely finish the year as the Most Valuable Player on this year's Mariners roster – but Julio Rodríguez could end up making it close.

That might come as a surprise to many fans. After all, his 114 OPS+ pales in comparison to Raleigh's own 169 OPS+. To make matters worse, fans in Seattle haven't gotten to see Julio do much of anything while at home since his OPS at T-Mobile Park this year is a measly .597 over 248 plate appearances. However, when taking a look at the bigger picture, it's clear that he's still one of the best players in the sport today.

Don't overlook Julio Rodríguez's rising production for Mariners

With a home run against Jacob deGrom on Sunday, Julio reached 100 career home runs and became the first player in MLB history to begin his career with four consecutive seasons with 20-plus home runs and 20-plus stolen bases. Bobby Witt Jr. will likely join him on that list before the season is over, but he still needs four home runs to reach that mark.

On top of being an above-average hitter, Julio is one of the best at playing his premium defensive position in center field. His 11 Defensive Runs Saved place him 14th among all MLB players and third among all center fielders behind just Ceddane Rafaela (16) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (18).

His success at the plate, on the basepaths, and in the field have combined for 4.5 rWAR, more than the total he accumulated throughout all of last season. What's even better is the fact that he seems to finally be hitting a real stride, posting a .988 OPS since July 11.

He's still almost a full win above replacement behind Raleigh, but is also the second-most valuable Mariner by the metric. With another one of his signature second-half hot streaks, he could very well pull within striking distance of his teammate. If not, he could still end up being nearly as productive as his sophomore campaign in 2023, when he finished fourth in the AL MVP voting.

With just 3.0 games separating them from an injury-laden Houston Astros team, the postseason momentum for the Mariners hasn't been this high in a while. More importantly, the overall demeanor of the team has become more positive as a result of their recent success and the return of the beloved Eugenio Suárez.

This upbeat vibe has seemingly played a significant role in Julio's upswing, and if he keeps up this level of play through to the end of the season, the Mariners will cruise their way into the postseason bracket.