Julio Rodriguez's AL Rookie of the Year Odds Jump Off the Page

As opening day nears, many are rushing to get their Futures bets in.

With many rookies set to be on opening day rosters in the American League, there is a crowded oddsboard, but Julio Rodriguez may have had the most impressive Spring Training of the group. The Mariners outfielder added an inside the park home run to his resume on Thursday night.

Before we get into Rodriguez's case for an AL Rookie of the Year bet, let's check out the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook:

AL Rookie of the Year Odds

• Bobby Witt Jr.: +275
• Julio Rodriguez: +500
• Spencer Torkelson: +500
• Adley Rutschman: +600
• Shane Baz: +1000
• Jeremy Pena: +1200
• Josh Jung: +1200
• Reid Detmers: +1500
• Riley Greene: +1500
• Joe Ryan: +2000

There are four prospects with odds below +1000, but Rodriguez has some upside at +500. Rodriguez is a quality fielder with a .304 batting average in Spring Training across 23 at bats. However, no highlight is greater than his inside the park homer on Thursday night.

While Bobby Witt Jr. is the favorite for this award as the bright slugging prospect for the Kansas City Royals, that is factoring in that he is set to be on the opening day roster while there is still some questions if players like Rodriguez and Spencer Torkelson will be on it.

Volume is a huge part of an Rookie of the Year candidacy and some prospects can be ruled out by the midpoint of the season if they aren't on the Major League roster. However, there is a ton of momentum for Rodriguez to make it, especially after this highlight.

Mariners manager Scott Servais didn't say if J-Rod would make the roster or not after the game but did have rave reviews for the rookie. “We can go on and on,” Servais told MLB.com. “We've got a few games left to play in the spring and we'll see how it plays out from there. But I couldn't be any happier with how he’s played out.”

If he's on the opening day roster in the field, Rodriguez's odds are going to shrink next to Witt. Jr due to his well rounded and explosive play.

On a budding team like the Mariners that is hoping to breakthrough and make the playoffs after a 90-72 season in 2021, Rodriguez has the recipe for a ROY campaign. He jut has to make the roster first, which is why I'm jumping on this bet now. He's too talented to be kept off of the big league club.

Looking for more previews ahead of Opening Day? Check out the BetSided team’s AL East andNL West previews here!