Julio Rodríguez was born to hit. He was the MVP of the Dominican Summer League at age 17. He recorded 26 home runs and a .929 OPS in his first taste of the Minor Leagues as an 18-year-old. He slashed .347/.441/.560 between High-A and Double-A at the age of 20. And after hitting .419 in Spring Training this year, the 21-year-old has made the Mariners' Opening Day roster. Here is what you need to know about the No. 3 prospect in baseball.

FAST FACTS

MLB organization: Mariners
Birthdate: Dec. 29, 2000 (Age 21 season in 2022)
Primary position: OF
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 228 lbs.
Bats/throws: Right/right
Hometown: Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic
Signed: July 2, 2017 (by SEA)

His power is elite

A lot of players hit home runs, but very few players hit home runs like Julio Rodríguez. His first homer of Spring Training in 2022 was a 431-foot shot that clocked in with an exit velocity of 117 mph. That’s the neighborhood where the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani reside. Only nine players registered an exit velocity of 117 mph or greater on a home run in 2021. And only five players -- Stanton, Guerrero, Ronald Acuña Jr., Mike Zunino and Franchy Cordero -- hit a ball that far with that much authority last season.

“It's fun to watch, because he's got some kind of ability,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Rodríguez. “When he squares it up, it's going to go as far as anybody hits them.”

He has speed too

This inside-the-park home run J-Rod hit off of Emmanuel Clase during their Spring Training bout is an example of his often-overlooked wheels. For most hitters, that may be a triple at best with a little luck.

This wasn't a standout part of Rodríguez's game when he broke into pro ball; MLB Pipeline listed Rodríguez with 45-grade speed back in 2018. He heard the comments from people who doubted his ability to be a plus runner at the Major League level. Fueled by self-determination and that outside criticism, Rodríguez set out over the past couple of years to make himself a better, faster athlete. His speed grade for 2022 is 55, which qualifies as above-average on the 20-to-80 scouting scale.

"If you asked anybody if they would expect me to be running the way I'm running right now, nobody would have told you they were expecting that," Rodríguez said. "There was something within me and my group. That was something that we were worried about, and we worked hard the past two offseasons to get me where I'm at right now."

According to MLB Pipeline, J-Rod has the best hit, power and arm grades among the Mariners' top 30 prospects.

He is a joy to watch on YouTube

The only thing that might be louder than Rodríguez’s bat is his personality. His outgoing disposition was first on worldwide display in “Vibin’ with JROD,” a series that began in 2020 and is available via the Mariners' YouTube channel. Rodríguez interviews and plays games with other top Mariners prospects and comes off as a natural showman, brimming with swagger and laughter. At just 21 years old, Rodríguez has proven he could handle himself on both sides of the microphone during a postgame press conference.

About one year after "Vibin' with JROD" began, Rodríguez launched his personal YouTube channel. Whether he's hiking, shoe shopping or playing ball, Rodríguez uses his channel to give fans a behind-the-scenes look into his life.

He puts on his 'war paint' before games

In a fun conversation on "Vibin' with JROD" with Taylor Trammell, you can hear how much Rodríguez cares about fashion. That extends to the baseball diamond, too. Specifically, Rodríguez likes to style his eye black in a very particular way: a wide swatch across each cheek with an arch that extends downward, curving around his mouth.

But to Rodríguez, it's not just eye black. "It’s like my war paint," he said. "When we are going to war, that’s my battlefield, the field.”

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A post shared by Julio Y. Rodríguez (@julio\_rod18)

He wants to ‘break baseball’

In 2018, Rodríguez was asked by The Athletic’s Kate Preusser how he plans to achieve the superstardom that he desires.

His response?

“I want to break baseball.”

In other words, he wants to be like Alex Rodriguez, one of his biggest inspirations.

“A-Rod was the last one to break baseball,” Julio explained. “He was so young, and right away, he made pitchers have to change [how they pitched to him]. Everyone was paying attention to him because he was the best player on the field -- he was a show. That’s what I love about him, he was his own brand in baseball, and that’s what I want to be.”

Julio also said he plans to hit at least 37 home runs as a rookie, one more than A-Rod hit in his first full MLB season.

He has bonded with a Mariners icon

In order to be the best, Rodríguez is learning from one of the best: Ichiro Suzuki. When the two aren’t goofing around during batting practice, the hitting master is bestowing knowledge upon one of his pupils.

“If you think of a legend like that in your sport, you wouldn't think that he's so nice,” Rodríguez said in February 2021. “Like, in my head before I met him, [I didn’t know] he was going to be like that friendly. I would have thought that he would have been in his own world. But like, he's with us, chilling, talking with us, having fun with us. As you can see, I just like facing him, somebody that I look up to. It’s great. He's great.”

He represented his home country in the Olympics

While Rodríguez eagerly awaits his first regular-season game with the Mariners, he was honored to play for the Dominican Republic national team for the first time in 2021.

“Having that flag on your chest, right there, seeing everybody in your hometown, in the whole country just cheering your name, cheering for you, for the whole team. It’s a different feeling,” Rodríguez told Mayo in June. “It’s definitely a different feeling I have never experienced before, and I’m glad that I get to experience it now.”

Rodríguez went 12-for-34 with nine runs scored and seven RBIs across two Olympic qualifying tournaments, the second of which was won by the Dominican Republic, clinching its spot in the Tokyo Olympics.

In Tokyo, Rodríguez batted .417 with a 1.069 OPS. He was one of only four players in the tournament to record at least 10 hits, and he slugged a long home run during the bronze medal game versus Korea as the D.R. won its first-ever Olympic medal in a team sport.

He got a big surprise during All-Star Week in 2021

Within a week of clinching his spot in the Olympics, Rodríguez was promoted from High-A Everett to Double-A Arkansas and selected to play in the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. But the most memorable moment of his special summer may have come the day before the Futures Game, when his dad, Julio Sr., surprised him in Denver after telling his son he wouldn't be able to attend the game. Rodríguez was clearly caught in disbelief and wrapped his father in a hug that almost knocked Julio Sr. over. Julio's mother, Yasmiris Reyes, was also on hand for the Futures Game, marking the first time his parents got to see him play in the United States.

His parents played a central role in Julio becoming a Mariner

Rodríguez might be MLB's next superstar, but he stays grounded thanks to his mother and father, who have been setting Julio up for baseball success since before he was even born; his mother bought him his first bat while she was still pregnant because, as she told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez, she believed her son would be a baseball player.

His father spent hours each day training with his son and teaching him humility and grace. When MLB franchises began to show interest in Julio, his parents held thorough interviews with each club. The Mariners eventually won them over thanks to their commitment to Julio's education.

“It’s amazing to have parents that have your back all of the time and are there for you no matter what,” Rodríguez said. “My family keeps me balanced and my mind right. I am who I am because of them.”

He was recognized as "Mr. Mariner"

Rodríguez put together a monster season in 2021. He finished second among Minor League qualifiers in batting average (.347), third in on-base percentage (.441) and seventh in OPS (1.001). His success helped him land on MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Year. It also helped him earn the Alvin Davis "Mr. Mariner" Award, which is given annually to the organization's Minor Leaguer who best exhibits exemplary play and leadership skills both on and off the field. And Rodríguez received it on the field at T-Mobile Park while attending a Mariners game for the first time.

He has already given Mariners fans a glimpse of the future

Julio Rodríguez driving in Jarred Kelenic? It has already happened. Rodríguez lined a game-winning single, scoring the Mariners' former top prospect, to end Seattle's first Spring Training game of 2021.

Rodríguez had a message for Mariners fans afterward: "That's something they are going to see for a long, long time."