ESPN Personality Identifies the Biggest Flaw for Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez
In this story:
Over the last few weeks, the conversation around Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners has grown louder and louder.
You've seen it all on social media, just like I have.
"Is he one of the best players in the league, or is he a disappointment?" "Does Julio ever come through in the clutch?" "The M's need to send him down." "He needs to play like a guy who's being paid a lot of money!"
For our part, we've discussed Julio's play on the "Refuse to Lose" podcast and we asked ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney about his thoughts on Rodriguez. You can see his complimentary words here.
But when you cut through all the outside rhetoric about Rodriguez, I've landed on this premise:
I think Julio Rodriguez is a very good player and he's an exceptional talent. He is the most talented player on the Mariners and he has the talent to be an MVP in the American League. That said, he's too inconsistent right now, and the reason he's inconsistent is that he's too often willing to get himself out. Rodriguez is aggressive, but he will go outside the zone too much and expand the zone. He will swing at the fastball way inside or the slider way away, and pitchers know they don't have to throw him strikes. Until he fixes that, he will continue to be very good, and very streaky.
My premise comes with just what my own eyes tell me, but those eyes were proven right by Paul Hembekides of ESPN, who delivered the most important note on Rodriguez that I've ever heard.
The second reason: Is he's just not nearly a good enough bad ball hitter to justify his chase rate, which of course is astronomical. Since the start of the 2023 season, he has chased 386 pitches. That is the fifth-most in baseball. Of those 386 swings, he's got 17 hits, and they're all singles. He's not Salvador Perez or Jose Ramirez or Jose Altuve, Rafael Devers or one of these legendary bad ball hitters whose bat to ball skills justify you expanding the zone.
Julio Rodríguez OPS+ by season
— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) May 1, 2025
(100 is average):
2022 (147)
2023 (130)
2024 (116)
2025 (103)
Why is he merely an average hitter right now? We dug into the numbers 👇 pic.twitter.com/qEcONe7YEO
So yes, Rodriguez swings outside the zone and gets himself out. However, he is running the best walk rate of his career, (10.8%) which is encouraging. Perhaps that can be start of a new trend that helps him hit his ultimate ceiling.
The Mariners will take on the Texas Rangers on Friday night at 5:05 p.m. PT. Rodriguez is hitting .207 with four homers, 14 RBIs and five stolen bases.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," talking about the recent series sweep over the Los Angeles and how he feels about Seattle after the first 30 games. Then, he has a deeper discussion about the "Control the Zone" mantra of the last decade and how maybe it's morphed this season. Furthermore, we get the definitive answer from one ESPN personality on the struggles for Julio Rodriguez. Also, Joe Doyle of Overslot talks M's success, sustainability and the big opportunity the team has in the draft. CLICK HERE:
ON THE MEND: The Mariners are badly wounded right now, but they are expected to get Dylan Moore back soon. When? CLICK HERE:
WHAT's CHANGED: MLB Network delivered an awesome break down of what adjustments Jorge Polanco has made this season at the plate. CLICK HERE:
Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.
