Baseball is life! Josh Rojas’s dominance for the Mariners and what it means

A true Kyle Seager replacement?

Now, will Rojas finish the year as an MVP candidate? Probably not, but that doesn't mean he hasn't built himself an incredible launch pad that could take him to his first ever all-star game, and help lead Seattle to his first ever personal playoff appearance. It's arguably the best story on the team to start the season, but it does bring up some very real questions as this team moves forward, assuming Seattle continues to see a version of this Rojas for all of 2024.

Rojas is only making $3.1 million in 2024, and is arbitration eligible for the next two seasons, before hitting free agency in 2027. Seattle should have Rojas under team control through his prime years. While Eugenio Suarez was the right replacement for Kyle Seager, and at the right time, Rojas may be the logical Kyle Seager replacement for the next 3.5 seasons.

When you look at Rojas’s baseball savant page, we see someone who may lack premier power or exit velocity but has incredible plate vision and discipline. Rojas ranks in the 98th percentile in Sweet Spot %, 95th in Chase %,  85th in K%, and 80th in Walk Rate. So when he's not ambushing starting pitchers in the first inning as the new leadoff guy, Rojas is constantly getting on base with an elite eye that sees him walking or attacking the best pitch in each at bat.

I believe there's real evidence, since he's come to Seattle and immersed himself in “Controlling the Zone”, that Rojas could be a legitimate all-star caliber player through 2026.