The Seattle Mariners had one hell of a season last year. After a long and painful playoff drought, the team finally broke the curse and made it to their first playoff game in 20 years. Even better, Seattle won their first series, knocking out the Toronto Blue Jays in stunning fashion. There's a lot of things to be excited about for the Mariners, including Julio Rodriguez.

Julio Rodriguez came into the league guns blazing during his rookie year with the Mariners. The star outfielder was on fire all year long, with his insane bat and defensive capabilities. One under-used aspect of Rodriguez, though, was his speed. That's about to change next year, Scott Servais told Corey Brock.

“Julio Rodríguez had only four of his 25 stolen bases in the second half. Part of that was due to health, part pitchers paying more attention to him. This season? We could see more even more swipes. “It's a big part of his game,” Scott Servais said.”

Rodriguez won the AL MVP last season after a stunning rookie year. The Mariners star was simply in a class of his own amongst his rookie peers in the American League. He posted a .843 OPS for the year and hit 28 home runs, all while using his cannon arm to threaten opposing base runners.

The Mariners are still quite a ways away from being true title contenders in the American League. For the first time in a long, long while, though, this team has an actual direction. That's thanks in large part due to Rodriguez lighting the MLB on fire. Can he keep this up?