What stood out from Brock and Salk’s conversation with Julio

The upcoming season figures to be an important one for the career trajectory of Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez.

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After two strong seasons that featured more ups than downs to start his career, the two-time Silver Slugger winner produced underwhelming results for much of his third campaign in the big leagues. Rodríguez closed the season on a high note while working with Mariners legend Edgar Martinez, who took over duties as the team’s hitting coach for the final six weeks along manager Dan Wilson. Rodríguez will undoubtedly be hoping those results carry over into the 2025 season.

Rodríguez recently joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk for a wide-ranging conversation about the Mariners and the upcoming campaign. Here are three things that stood out from the interview.

‘A lot of the guys are bought into it’

Rodríguez’s late-season surge with Martinez as hitting coach was a welcomed development for the Mariners. However, Martinez has since moved into the role overseeing the Mariners’ hitting program and former Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer now holds Martinez’s former role in Seattle. That means Martinez will have less guidance in the day-to-day work with Rodríguez and others, but the M’s center fielder already sees similarities between the Martinez and Seitzer.

“I feel like they’re both also very, very similar in the way they approach hitting, like their message,” Rodríguez said. “I think they are keeping things very simple and I think that’s something huge because at the end of the day, a lot of people like playing baseball a lot of different ways. I just feel like the game is the game. You can’t change the essence of the game.”

Rodríguez feels the philosophies of Martinez and Seitzer are resonating with many on the team.

“(The coaches) keep all of us in a good mentality with the right intent. Just hit a lot of line drives up the middle, a lot of good things are going to happen,” Rodríguez said. “I feel like the confidence in what they say with the experience that it’s coming from, I feel like it’s sinking (in) well with a lot of the guys and a lot of the guys are bought into it.”

Seattle Mariners OF creating strong bond

There were questions about the Mariners’ corner outfield spots heading into last season. That’s certainly not the case this year. With the in-season additions of Victor Robles and Randy Arozarena in 2024, the outfield has become a clear strength for the Mariners.

Rodríguez and Arozarena are both former All-Stars who have shown the ability to carry their teams during hot stretches, and Robles’ breakout 2024 season in Seattle gives some hope that he can come closer to reaching the potential he was thought to have when he was a top-10 prospect in baseball during his days in the Washington Nationals’ system.

There’s not only plenty of talent in the Mariners outfield this season, but also a budding, strong bond between the three Latin-born standouts. That was already on display during spring training when Rodríguez and Robles decided to follow suit and dyed their hair blonde to match the new look Arozarena brought into camp.

“We’re very like-minded. We bonded right away,” Rodríguez said of the group. “Randy is really serious, but he actually talks a lot. He’s always fooling around, saying something. He’s funny. Victor, you know he’s going to go out there and be Victor, and that’s something that we love about him – the way that he plays the game and how he is as a person. In the clubhouse, he’s very kind of quiet, but at the same time he can get really loud, he can be making jokes.

“It’s a really good relationship that we have,” Rodríguez added. “Like I said, we’re very like-minded. We like to keep it light, but at the same time we work hard.”

Julio’s relationship with Dan Wilson

When Wilson took over as manager for the final six weeks of last season, he was a familiar face for many players who had come up through the Mariners’ farm system, including Rodríguez. Wilson has served in various roles in the organization over the years from his time as a roving mentor to his current role as the Seattle’s skipper.

“You’re talking about a man of character. He has a lot of character,” Rodríguez said. “I feel like he goes really with what we’re trying to do here, and he’s a great dude, he’s a great leader. That’s why he has the group in a really good place. … I feel like a lot of people saw it playing out at the end of the year last year (the Mariners went 21-13 under Wilson), but that was just six weeks. I’m excited to see what we can do over a whole season.”

Rodríguez said he’s always had a good relationship Wilson dating back to the manager’s previous roles in the organization. The aggressive style Wilson is implementing is something Rodríguez is a fan of.

“We don’t have the luxury of just kind of laying back and waiting for somebody to do something. We have to push the envelope,” he said. “I feel like that’s something in the message that’s great, and that’s something that I love from my manager.”

Hear the full conversation with Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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