Former Major League General Manager Says "Hope is Dwindling" For Julio Rodriguez
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Entering play on Tuesday, Seattle Mariners' standout Julio Rodriguez is hitting just .196 with four homers and 13 RBIs. Though he has produced some power, it's been another slow start for Rodriguez, who has seen that become a trend in his career.
The 24-year-old is one of the most talented players in baseball, but the discourse around his ultimate ceiling continues to grow louder. Can he be a top-five player in the league? Or is he "just" a streaky player with really good tools?
We recently asked ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney his thoughts on Rodriguez, and he was extremely positive. However, former major league general manager Steve Phillips was not as complimentary on a recent episode of the "Mitch Unfiltered" podcast:
He's still young. Julio is. I'm disappointed, and maybe it's my fault for creating that expectation. But, we think about people the way they teach us to think about them. And he taught me that he had the personality, he had the charisma, he had the bat, he had the big at-bats, he had the big moments. He was that guy that was going to be everything. I'm not going to give up hope yet, but it's dwindling for me a little bit. I still like him as a player. He's still a spot for him, but I don't think he's the aircraft carrier that you're going to need in the middle of the lineup,
You can listen to the full interview here.
The Mariners are back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Angels at 6:40 p.m. PT.
Rodriguez is a two-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger.
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