Nothing Julio Rodríguez does surprises anyone in the Mariners' organization. They believe in him. And they know he'll be a perfect ambassador for Seattle as it hosts the All-Star Game, writes Britt_Ghiroli.
France, who took it upon himself to be Rodríguez’s water boy for last year’s event, got a front-row seat as Rodríguez clobbered baseball after baseball after swinging and missing at the first pitch. Rodríguez laughs when asked if he will do the same thing this year. France had seen Rodríguez do some insane things already on the baseball field. Nothing the 22-year-old Rodríguez does surprises anyone in the Seattle organization.
“That’s really hard. It’s hard to do as a young player,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “And he totally did it the right way, he had fun with it and embraced it. He had a great BP thrower.”That was longtime friend Franmy Pena, who will return for an encore this year. Rodríguez’s dad always said, “Never change what works.” So Pena will be back as Rodríguez vies once again to be the youngest winner in Home Run Derby history.
In late May, Rodríguez put together a two-week stretch that looked like he was back on track, with a .366/.392/.634 line with five homers and 15 RBIs, earning AL Player of the Week. He’s still been inconsistent, however, finishing the first half with a .249/.310/.411 line with 13 homers and 49 RBIs. The Mariners believe in Rodríguez, who has been vocal about wanting to lead Seattle to the organization’s first World Series, as a person. Even if his numbers bother him, even if he wasn’t the first choice in center field, Rodríguez will still put on a show in Seattle. And he’ll do it with a smile.
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