During this frigid stretch for the Seattle Mariners (48-41), which has seen them drop 10 of their last 14 games, eyes have been fixed on the equally cold Julio Rodriguez. The two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger is batting just .244 with a ghastly .296 on-base percentage, .336 slugging percentage and .632 OPS, but he and his team snapped out of their funk on Independence Day.
Seattle avoided a sweep at T-Mobile Park against the Baltimore Orioles (55-32) on Thursday, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit and scoring five runs in the seventh inning to clinch a 7-3 victory. Rodriguez blasted a solo 428-foot home run in the fifth and then sparked the aforementioned scoring spree with a lead-off double, a stolen base and a galvanizing release of emotions. After recording only three hits in his last 37-at-bats entering the series finale, Rodriguez desperately needed this bounce-back outing.
He is not lamenting the rough times, however. On the contrary, the 23-year-old center fielder is grateful for the hard lessons he has learned at the dish during this rocky campaign.
“Sometimes, you've got to go through tough stretches to wake the hell up,” Rodríguez said, according to MLB.com's Daniel Kramer.”If I start crying or complaining or beating myself up for what's happened, I'm not going to take full advantage of the moment I have now. So that's just what I went out there and did today… just going out there, and competing my [butt] off.”
The 2022 American League Rookie of the Year is looking straight ahead, as he and the Mariners attempt to live up to their lofty expectations for the 2024 season. Maybe this Fourth of July triumph is the catalyst for this club reaching its top form.
Mariners must lean on Julio Rodriguez
Although president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto made several roster changes this past offseason, many fans were still skeptical about Seattle's offense. A lack of reliable bats has once again put a hefty burden on the starting pitching rotation to keep the M's in playoff contention. That uneven foundation was bound to crack eventually, but Julio Rodriguez is expected to minimize the level of damage.
Instead, he has been a significant part of the Mariners' offensive woes, which enabled the threatening Huston Astros to pull within two games of first place in the AL West. The pressure for him to consistently produce is unfairly substantial, as the organization has failed to sufficiently surround him with quality contributors. If Rodriguez endures a drought, it is likely that Seattle suffers the same fate.
Superstars obviously alter the trajectory of a franchise, but they alone cannot deliver a baseball team to October. The Los Angeles Angels proved as much during the last decade. Though, a productive Rodriguez can potentially mean the difference of a momentous playoff run or another agonizing finish to the regular season.
The team and its fans have waited far too long to squander an opportunity to win a divisional crown, which would be the Mariners' first in 23 years. Julio Rodriguez knows what is at stake, and he has the ability and intangibles to reclaim his mojo, just as he did in the second half of last season.
Is this showing versus the Orioles his true awakening? Or are a few more cat-naps in order before this young star fully erupts in 2024?
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