Julio Rodríguez Is Struggling Early and Completely Unbothered About It
Julio Rodríguez knows he's swinging at ghosts right now. Through the first two weeks of the season, his slash line is brutal: .148/.246/.148 with eight hits, all singles, across 61 plate appearances. His .394 OPS ranks 186th out of 191 qualified MLB hitters. For context, that's the kind of number that makes you wince. But the Mariners' All-Star center fielder? He's not panicking. Not even close.
"I'm always so confident that things are gonna show," Rodríguez said simply. "No matter what."
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This isn't new territory for Rodríguez. Early season struggles have been a recurring theme throughout his five years with Seattle. His career OPS in March and April sits at .624 across 528 plate appearances, a stark drop from his .800 overall OPS through his first four seasons. So yeah, he knows what it looks like to dig out of a hole in April. And yeah, he's done it before.
What keeps him level-headed? Control. "Control what you can control," he said. "Prepare every day. Put my body, my mind in the best position that I can. The results eventually will show."
Ichiro's Advice Is Still Ringing in His Ears
Rodríguez leaned on his friendship with Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki during Friday's statue unveiling at T-Mobile Park. The two have built a genuine connection over the years, playing catch in the outfield grass during afternoon workouts and talking through the ups and downs of baseball life. When the noise gets loud and the pressure mounts, Ichiro reminds him of one thing: stay focused.
"When you're thrown a lot of things, it's easy to pay attention to that," Rodríguez said, relaying Ichiro's guidance. "But if you stay focused, in the long run of things I feel like you're always gonna find a way to navigate through all that."
At 25 years old, in his fifth season, Rodríguez isn't buying into the early-season noise. He's putting in the work, preparing every single day, and trusting that the results will follow. That's how he's always played the game. That's how he's going to keep playing it.
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