The Shocking Parallels of Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena
Randy Arozarena (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Julio Rodriguez (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
If I asked you to name a current Mariners outfielder who’s won Rookie of the Year, finished second in the Home Run Derby, made multiple All-Star teams, represented his country in the World Baseball Classic, and is one of only two players in MLB history to open his career with four straight 20–20 seasons (20+ HR, 20+ SB)… you’d probably say Julio Rodríguez. And you’d be right.
But here’s the twist — Randy Arozarena is also a correct answer.
He recorded a 20/20 season in his official rookie year and has done it every season since — five straight 20/20 campaigns, a feat no one else in baseball history can claim to start a career.
Some might downplay 20/20 as a milestone, but doing it five years in a row — from day one — is anything but ordinary. Arozarena and Rodríguez are quietly rewriting the record books. And somehow, nobody’s talking about it.
When Stardom First Hit for J-Rod and Arozarena
By the time Julio Rodríguez lit up Dodger Stadium in the 2022 Home Run Derby — launching 81 homers and swaggering into the national spotlight — you could hear the whispers. This guy was the future. The smile, the torque, the bat speed. The way the ball left his bat felt different. He finished second that night, but he’d won something bigger: attention. Baseball had a new star.
But two years earlier, in a quieter Derby without fans in a COVID-shadowed summer, another electric outfielder made his presence felt on a different stage. Randy Arozarena had just gone nuclear in the 2020 postseason, putting up one of the most absurd Octobers in MLB history — 10 home runs, .377 average — and basically dragging the Rays to the World Series. He didn't win Rookie of the Year that season (he technically wasn’t eligible yet, and won it the following year), but the baseball world had seen enough. This guy was it.
Two Rookie of the Year awards. Two second-place finishes in the Home Run Derby. Two players oozing charisma, capable of carrying a team for weeks at a time. And — though it’s gone mostly unspoken — two of the most similar starts to a career we’ve ever seen.
This is the story of Julio and Randy: baseball’s most overlooked career twins.
Rookie of the Year: Different Paths, Same Impact
Both Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez burst onto the scene with Rookie of the Year campaigns that set the tone for their careers.
Arozarena won AL Rookie of the Year in 2021 at the age of 26, slashing .274/.356/.459 with 20 HR, 20 SB, and 3.9 WAR. Coming off his historic 2020 postseason (10 HR, .377 AVG), he proved he wasn’t just a playoff flash — he was a five-tool star. A steal of home that year against Boston became his signature moment.
Julio took it even further in 2022. At just 21, he hit .284/.345/.509 with 28 HR, 25 SB, and 6.2 WAR, earning AL Rookie of the Year, All-Star honors, and a top-10 MVP finish. He helped end Seattle’s 21-year playoff drought — and became the face of the franchise overnight.
Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena Rookie Season Stats
A Rare 20/20 Brotherhood
In a league constantly seeking the next five-tool phenom, both Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez have quietly delivered power-speed production at a historic level. It just hasn’t made the noise it deserves.
Only two players in MLB history have started their careers with four straight 20 home run / 20 stolen base seasons:
1) Randy Arozarena (5x): 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 — Already accomplished 20/20 this season!
2) Julio Rodríguez (4x): 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 — Already accomplished 20/20 this season!
Almost #3) Bobby Witt Jr (3x): 2022, 2023, 2024 — Bobby Witt Jr hasn’t accomplished the feat yet, but he is likely to complete his 4th 20/20 season in 2025.
This is a new era of speed and power—and these two are leading it. Not only have they posted four+ straight 20/20 seasons, they did it starting in their rookie years, and their streaks are all still active.
Some may argue Randy Arozarena’s record deserves an asterisk—since he had a few brief MLB stints prior to his official rookie campaign in 2021, due to the league’s 130 at-bat threshold. But his 2021 season was his first full opportunity, and he made the most of it. By the league’s own rules, it was his rookie year, and he hasn’t stopped since.
Arozarena may not get the spotlight—but when it comes to sustained five-tool excellence from day one, he’s in elite company.
When Stardom Meets Expectations
Julio’s rookie year in Seattle was almost mythical. A 21-year-old phenom putting up 6.2 WAR, launching 28 homers, stealing 25 bags, and finishing seventh in MVP voting — as a rookie. By August of 2022, fans weren’t wondering if he’d be great, they were debating how many MVPs he’d win.
But 2023 brought something familiar to those who follow Randy’s path: quiet greatness that didn’t quite feel like enough. Julio hit 32 home runs, stole 37 bases, and again posted All-Star level metrics — but for much of the year, he looked uncomfortable. His OPS hovered near league average until a historic August binge (17-game hit streak, .429 avg, 7 HR) rescued the season.
This year? More of the same. Julio’s been good, not great. You sense the gears turning, but not catching. A .271/.320/.410 slash line and a dip in barrel rate have some worried. But zoom out, and you still see a 20/20 season pacing in his sleep. He’s 23.
Randy, meanwhile, has built a different kind of reputation — less “breakout” and more "always solid, never quite superstar." He’s posted five straight 20/20 seasons, has a lifetime OPS+ of 123, and plays every game like it’s a World Series elimination. He’s been better than fans give him credit for — and probably better than the Rays even expected. But like Julio, he’s also struggled under the weight of his own early brilliance.
In 2024, Randy’s production has fallen off a cliff. A .212 average and .674 OPS have made him look like a shell of his 2023 self. But his plate discipline is better than ever, and the underlying numbers suggest bad luck more than bad process. If he gets hot in August, no one will be surprised.
Below are the 2025 Stats for both players. They each accomplished 20/20 in 2025:
Julio currently has 20 HRs and 21 SBs, while Randy has 22 HRs and 21 SBs. Randy’s 2025 season is slightly better than Julio’s so far as he has an .826 OPS to Julio’s .743. Randy had one of the hottest July’s in MLB, and has continued his hot streak into August.
Fireworks on a National Stage
Then there’s the Home Run Derby — the unofficial stage for baseball’s brightest personalities.
Both Julio and Randy shined here, too.
In 2022, Julio captivated L.A. by blasting 81 homers across three rounds — more than any player in Derby history not named Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He beat Corey Seager. He beat Pete Alonso. He finally fell in the final to Juan Soto. But again, it didn’t feel like a loss. It felt like a coming-out party.
In 2023, Randy made his own mark, reaching the final before falling to… yep, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Again, he finished second. Again, he walked away with the bigger win: visibility, fandom, joy.
These two have consistently performed when the lights are brightest — postseason, All-Star weekend, WBC — and still carry themselves like guys from your neighborhood rec league. You just want to root for them.
WAR, WRC+, and the Myth of “Disappointment”
Statistically, they’re shockingly close.
PlayerAgeCareer HRSBOPS+WAR (Fangraphs)Rodríguez23748212312.5Arozarena29848912313.4
Julio’s flashier, younger, and has the higher ceiling. Randy’s been steadier, sneakier, and more durable. But in terms of output? They’ve delivered almost identical value.
So why does it feel like both have slightly underwhelmed?
Maybe it’s because we wanted Soto-level stardom, and we got steady excellence instead. Maybe the game has changed. Or maybe our attention spans have.
But these two are putting together borderline historic starts to their careers, and doing it with style.
The Case for the “Vibe WAR” Stat
Baseball doesn't have a stat for chemistry, but if it did, Randy and Julio would be near the top. They smile constantly. They lift up teammates. They make highlight plays without seeming to chase them. They want to entertain.
They’re also media-savvy without being phony, and deeply tied to their communities. They're the rare modern stars who feel accessible, even as they rack up WAR like a franchise cornerstone.
They’re also the kind of players who get hot in August, carry a team for three weeks, and suddenly make you forget any early-season struggles. They are two individuals who can carry a team in October. Julio is always hot late in the season, and Randy Arozarena proved it himself with most likely the best playoff performance of any rookie in MLB history, where Arozarena hit 10 HRs in 20 HR winning the ALCS MVP in 2020 for Tamba Bay
Final Thought: More Similar Than We Realize
Perhaps the baseball world’s eyes are fixed on Julio Rodríguez because his accomplishments are piling up at such a young age. At just 24, he’s already achieved feats that some players never reach. In contrast, Randy Arozarena didn’t debut as a rookie until he was 26—two years older than Julio is now.
While Arozarena likely still has several productive years ahead of him, the road to Cooperstown is narrow and unlikely. Julio, on the other hand, has a massive head start and sky-high potential. If he stays healthy and plays into his late 30s, he could even flirt with the unprecedented—joining Barry Bonds as the only players in MLB history with 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases. That might be a pipe dream, but even dreaming that big tells you everything you need to know about Julio’s Hall of Fame trajectory.
Arozarena’s path has been impressive, but his late arrival to MLB makes the long-term accolades harder to come by. Still, when you look at what they’ve each accomplished so far, their résumés are strikingly similar:
Rookie of the Year
20/20 seasons in every full MLB campaign
Home Run Derby runner-ups
Multiple All-Star selections
If Julio Rodríguez is the golden boy of the Mariners, Randy Arozarena is his unbothered cousin with a chip on his shoulder. They’re not rivals. They’re reflections.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s time we started mentioning them in the same sentence a little more often.
