“Julio Rodriguez is a super talented guy” – Former Mariners manager on the 2x silver slugger's potential
On Thursday, former Seattle Mariners skipper Scott Servais talked about the team's center fielder Julio Rodriguez and his sky-high potential. Though Rodriguez had appeared to somewhat struggle in the past season, there is no doubting his quality and importance for the team.
As for Servais, the season started off well as the Mariners took the lead in the AL West early on in the campaign. On the other hand, their rivals, the Houston Astros found themselves in a slump.
However, the tide turned in the second half of the season. With the Astros coming back into their own and the Mariners struggling for results, Servais was ultimately relieved of his role as manager of the team in late August.
In the time he spent in the Seattle dugout though, Julio Rodriguez was always a key part of Servais' plans. On Nov. 14, the former Mariners skipper talked about why he sees Julio going on to be one of the stalwarts of the side for years to come.
"People throughout the league know that the talent is there, he's a super talented guy. He's got all the charisma, all the things you're looking for, for somebody to be that 'star,' so to speak. Julio's very young, he's continuing to mature and grow, and he's going to have a great career, there's no question about it," Servais said. (0:02)
Further, Servais used an example from the past season, backing Rodriguez to deal with any rough patches or fitness issues he may face in his career.
"He's a really good player, so I think he's going to continue to learn from the struggles he's gone through, certainly last year, early in the season, was rough for him, then he had some injuries. Super talented guy, he's got exactly what you're looking for, he's going to be just fine," Servais added. (1:00)
Julio Rodriguez showcases his well-rounded attributes with this one stat from the 2024 season
Julio Rodriguez finished the 2024 season with a .273 batting average, 20 home runs and 68 RBIs. Though not a disastrous campaign by any means, it was certainly a slightly underwhelming one as per the high standards Rodriguez has set for himself in the past.
However, despite the various struggles he faced, the following stat, originally posted by 'Codify Baseball' on X, puts him in an exclusive group of players. It further underlines his proficiency in all aspects of the game.
According to the post, Julio Rodriguez and Elly De La Cruz are the only two big leaguers in the 90th percentile or better for the stats of bat speed, sprint speed and arm strength. With the athleticism that Rodriguez shows on the diamond on a regular basis, it's not really a surprise.
With the disappointments of 2024 now in the past, Mariners fans will hope that Julio Rodriguez and Co. can come back well-rested and motivated to improve on the previous campaign.