Why Edgar has high hopes for Julio in final month

Aug 31, 2024, 11:46 AM | Updated: 11:57 am

Seattle Sports

The 2024 season has been one marred with disappointment for Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez.

Salk: Who can unlock Julio? Why Edgar Martinez has a shot

After winning Rookie of the Year and two Silver Sluggers, making two All-Star appearances and finishing top 10 in MVP voting twice in his first two years in the league, expectations were sky-high for the center fielder in year three. However, early struggles and a major power outage have turned a campaign in which many thought Rodríguez could earn his first MVP into an underwhelming one.

A red-hot stretch in July appeared to finally be the turning point for the standout 24-year-old, but a high right ankle sprain suffered while crashing into the wall in center field derailed the momentum he was building.

Rodríguez is still trying recapture his game-changing abilities at the plate as September approaches. It may not happen this season, but if there is one person who could help him turn things around, it might be new Mariners hitting coach Edgar Martinez.

Martinez, the first full-time designated hitter to be elected to the baseball Hall of Fame, took over his new role in Seattle last week after manager Scott Servais and hitting coach Jarret DeHart were let go.

During a wide-ranging conversation with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Friday, Martinez shared that he has high hopes for the Mariners’ franchise player as the team fights for a playoff spot in the season’s final month.

“Julio is very open to suggestions and he’s he works really hard, and I’m excited,” Martinez said. “I think this year, the beginning hasn’t been what he’s used to and what he’s capable of, but I feel very confident that this last month he’s going to have a very good month, and he can feel good about it for next year. He’s working really hard so he can finish strong and help the team.”

Even the best have struggles

Martinez’s career numbers would suggest that hitting was never problem for the five-time Silver Slugger. He posted an elite .312/.418/.515 slash line and a 147 OPS+ for his career. Along the way, he won two batting titles, earned six All-Star nods and compiled the fourth-best career on-base percentage of any right-handed hitter.

But there were times when Martinez struggled. He hit just .240 and had a 74 OPS+ in 65 games as a 26-year-old in 1989, and he batted a career-worst .237 while playing just 42 games in an injury-marred 1993 season, which was one year after he led MLB with a .343 batting average.

Martinez told Bump and Stacy that those moments only made him a better player.

“In this game, it don’t matter how good you are, you’re going to have moments and times where you struggle,” Martinez said. “And early in my career, I struggled, but it made me better because you get stronger and you know what you did to fix it. So when when it happens again, you’re well prepared for that. You’re going to struggle. You just have to stay positive and know that it is temporary and you haven’t lost your abilities. … I think every player early in their career, they go through that and they learn from it.”

Listen to the full conversation with Seattle Mariners hitting coach Edgar Martinez at this link or in the video at the top of this story Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.