Former Seattle Mariners Infielder Delivers Opinion on Julio Rodriguez and His Approach
In this story:
If the Seattle Mariners are going to make a push to the playoffs, they are going to do it, in part, because of Julio Rodriguez getting truly hot at the plate.
Rodriguez has been solid this year, but not spectacular. He's hitting a respectable .252 with 11 homers and 41 RBIs entering play on Thursday, and he's stolen 13 bases.
However, I've made note multiple times about his approach at the plate on the Refuse to Lose podcast. I feel that he's getting himself too often and isn't getting into enough hitters counts.
I brought that point up to former M's infielder Jeff Schaefer on our most recent episode and asked him about Julio, and about approaches in general:
...every pitch that's thrown to any hitter in the major leagues is documented on video and the synergy platform that they have. So, before the game comes, they know that he's going to chase, they know that where his eyes are going to see the ball and they're not going to stop doing it until he stops doing it. Meaning they're not going to give him something to hit early in the count. They're not looking to go ahead and challenge him because he's one of the most talented players in the game. So, he's got to recognize that and know that he's not going to get challenged. So, he has to take a different approach, like you said, and he has to go ahead and zone a little bit better.
Meaning, he knows the pitches that he can do damage on. He has to basically start his swing into that zone and if it's not there, spit on it. And work yourself into a hitters count because that's, that's the only way that you hit at this level, now, because these guys throw so hard and they're throwing 90 mph sliders, 89 mph sliders 100 mph fastballs and dirty changeups and the balls just doing different things than it's ever done. So, you have to be extremely disciplined. And the other part of it is you can't miss the pitches, and we used to say this all the time. The best best hitters in the game don't miss the pitches they're supposed to hit. And if you're missing the pitches you're supposed to hit, you know, you're in trouble....
Schaefer spent parts of five years in the big leagues, including three with the Mariners (1990-1992).
You can listen to the full interview with him in our podcast player below:
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW PODCAST IS OUT: Brady is back on a Tuesday, talking about the impact that Cal Raleigh's season is having, beyond just the box score contributions. Furthermore, he talks about Julio Rodriguez's approach issues and what he wants to see, and we talk about if Raleigh will be able to handle all the increased attention he's going to get. Furthermore, former Mariners infielder Jeff Schaefer stops by with some great stories from the early 1990s M's. CLICK HERE:
SWEET LOU! Former M's manager Lou Piniella and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden made an unlikely pair in a video that circulated the internet on Tuesday. CLICK HERE:
FORMER M's SLUGGER FINDS NEW HOME: Mike Ford, who was with the Mariners in 2022 and 2023, will play in Japan again after signing a new deal with the Yokohama BayStars. 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.
