CENTER PIECE

Julio Rodriguez’s raw talent and joyful charisma made him a team leader as a 21-year-old rookie and helped the Mariners end a 21-year playoff drought

- KYLE GLASER

As baseball’s best players descended on Los Angeles for All-Star Game festivities in July, one burgeoning young standout had their attention most of all.

Julio Rodriguez, the Mariners’ exhilarating, ebullient 21-year-old center fielder, had powered Seattle to a 14-game win streak through the break, vaulting the Mariners from a sub-.500 record to wild card position in the American League.

The young Dominican shook off a slow start to earn an all-star selection as a rookie, showcasing a remarkable blend of power, speed and personality to captivate the city of Seattle and make the Mariners appointment viewing from coast to coast.

Rodriguez had been a major leaguer for barely three months by the time the All-Star Game rolled around. That was all the time he needed to earn the highest compliment possible from the game’s most decorated player.

“He plays the game the right way,” said Angels center fielder Mike Trout, the threetime American League MVP. “He’s always having fun on the bench. He reminds of myself kind of when I first came up.”

Rodriguez made that comparison look remarkably plausible in his major league debut this year. He became the fastest rookie to reach 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases, beating Trout’s record by three games, and he finished the year with 28 homers and 25 steals. He became a staple of nightly highlight reels with his play in center field, showing speed and agility that exceeded even the most bullish projections held for him.