Mariners Moose Tracks, 6/24/23: Julio Rodríguez, Elly De La Cruz, and Esteury Ruiz

Good morning everyone! The Mariners are rolling and it’s the weekend, what could be better?

In Mariners news...

• Julio Rodríguez is the first official entrant of the 2023 Home Run Derby. Many have asked this, but you do not need to be an All-Star to participate, so this isn’t necessarily indicative of anything on that front.

• Remember this kid? Yeah, he’s 23 now. Feel old yet? (Kidding. But he is at the London Series!)

• Hannah Keyser wonders if the Mariners got the momentum shift they needed in that series finale in the Bronx.
• The 2023 Celebrity Softball Game is notably short on Seattle-area celebrities (outside of the athletes).

Around the league...

• Electrifying youngster Elly De La Cruz hit for the cycle in just his second week in the big leagues. Oh yeah, and the Reds won their 12th straight game.

• The London Series returns in 2024!

• Plus, Katie Woo at The Athletic reports that Major League Baseball is exploring a Paris series, possibly as early as 2025. ($)
• Trade season is upon us at last! The Angels have acquired infielder Eduardo Escobar from the Mets.
• While A’s outfielder Esteury Ruiz doesn’t have much traditional power, he is finding that speed can be power too, writes Chris Gilligan at Fangraphs.
• John Shea at the San Francisco Chronicle dove into the questionable logistics of the A’s plan to build a new stadium on just nine acres in Las Vegas.
• Jared Diamond at The Wall Street Journal wrote about college baseball, the only place in America where a starting pitcher can still throw 120 pitches on 4 days of rest.
• Kiley McDaniel at ESPN wonders if this is the year that an ambitious team will throw caution to the wind and ball out in the amateur draft. ($)