Last night, Randy Arozarena stole his 20th base of the year, making 2025 his fifth straight season with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. The combination of power and speed is the Holy Grail of athletic achievement, the thing that turns someone from a person into a specimen. And Arozarena is now in rarefied air—only 21 other players in MLB history have five 20-20 seasons. With the milestone under his belt, the time was ripe to highlight a few other homer-steals milestones to be on the watch for as the season continues.
First up, Randy’s very likely to have company in 2025’s 20-20 club very soon. Julio Rodríguez is sitting on 18 dingers and 20 steals. One can feel pretty safe in the assumption that he’ll reach 20-20 as well. When he does so, he’ll be the first player to begin his career with four 20-20 seasons, though Bobby Witt, Jr. is practically a lock to join him later this summer. Those next two big flies will also make Julio just the eighth player in MLB history with 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases through his age-24 season, something the 25-year-old Witt can’t achieve.
Assuming Julio is able to do it, he and Arozarena will make history as teammates to reach 20-20 in the same season. If you count players who were traded mid-season, they’re already on the list from when they did it last year, a list that includes 56 other pairs of teammates. And if you do count last year’s achievement, they’ll become just the fifth pair to reach the milestone in the same season twice, a list that includes the Mariners’ Ken Griffey, Jr. and Alex Rodriguez when they did it in 1998 and 1999. But it’s in the eye of the beholder. If you don’t count players traded midseason, Julio and Arozarena will still become just the 51st pair of teammates on the list.
An even higher peak is within reach. With Arozarena having crossed the 20-20 threshold before the end of July, he’s on pace for a 30-30 season, which would be the first of his career. Julio is tracking for a 27-30 season, and could easily hit 30-30, which would be his second time there after he did it in 2023. If they both get there, they’d be just the second pair of teammates to do it, joining Ellis Burks and Dante Bichette of the 1996 Rockies.
Of course, they’re not the only double threats on the 2025 Mariners. Cal Raleigh is on pace for 61 Beef Boy Bombs and 18 Beef Boy Bags. If he picks up the pace a little, he could hit a 20-20 season himself. That’d make the Mariners just the fourth team ever with three players having 20-20 seasons in the same year, joining the 1988 Mets (Darryl Strawberry, Kevin McReynolds, and Howard Johnson), 2003 Yankees (Raul Mondesi, Aaron Boone, and Alfonso Soriano), and 2009 Phillies (Jayson Werth, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins). History isn’t destiny, but it’s worth noting that two of those three teams played in the World Series.
Finally, there’s recent addition and surprise basepath menace Josh Naylor. After going yard and stealing four bases in his first four games as a Mariner, he’s now on pace for 18 home runs and 22 steals this year. If all three of Julio, Cal, and Naylor join Arozarena on the other side of the benchmark, they’d be the first team ever with four players with 20-20 seasons.
Even in the thick of a tight playoff race, it can be easy to tune out the final innings of a blowout. But with four players headed toward history, it’s worth keeping at least one eye on the screen as the season approaches the finish line.
More from lookoutlanding.com:
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- Mariners Moose Tracks, 12/30/17: Edgar Martinez, Miguel Sano, and Wade Davis
- Jerry Dipoto doesn’t care about your fan theories
- Sporcle Friday: Most Walks in a Season
- Mariners Moose Tracks, 12/28/17: 4MOM, Jose Altuve, and Michael Fulmer
