Morosi: What being MLB Network’s top CF says about Julio Rodríguez
Jan 11, 2025, 9:58 AM
Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners rounds the bases after a home run in a 2024 game. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
(Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
This week, the MLB Network began airing their annual “Top 10 Right Now” series which features position by position rankings of current MLB players. Up first was center field, and atop the list was the Seattle Mariners’ own Julio Rodríguez – perhaps coming as a surprise as Rodríguez is coming off a season that was marred by a massive struggle over the first three months.
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In MLB Network insider Jon Morosi’s weekly visit with Wyman and Bob on Wednesday, he was asked about the ranking.
“It’s fair to ask for more,” Morosi said of Rodríguez, who posted a 4.3 bWAR in 2024. “But it is remarkable to think of this – that Julio, even coming off of a down year, a year in which he did not play in 32 games, that he is still rated if you just go by the numbers as the third best center fielder in baseball last year.”
Rodríguez’s struggles at the plate were well chronicled, as was the late season bounceback. It appears, both inside and outside the Seattle Mariners organization, there is a lot of belief in what was seen from Julio in the later months of 2024, as well as what was seen in some of the numbers that indicated he was just a tick off for a good part of the season. His exit velocity and bat speed were there, while his barrel percentage was down. His slugging percentage was a career low .409, but his xSLG at .463 was right in line with the .472 he posted in 2023 and .460 in 2022.
“There’s still a lot there for Julio, even if he has just an OK year by his standards,” said Morosi. “He’s still a very valuable player.”
There is no denying the talent, and while the experience of the struggle last year was not pleasant, it did appear answers were found late in the season – with Rodríguez crediting Edgar Martinez, who rejoined the staff as hitting coach, for some of them. This year in his new position overseeing the Mariners’ overall hitting program, Edgar will have a bigger voice in spring training than he has had in Julio’s time with the organization. The hope is this, plus more at-bats this spring, will help Rodríguez get into a better rhythm at the plate heading into what Morosi believes could be a big season for him.
“He had a down year, and I would expect when you have someone that has that special a skill set he will find a way to bounce back,” he said. “He is only in his age 24 season. Can he go 30/30? Yeah, he’s done it before and I think that level of expectation is appropriate, and I expect he will find a way to hit 30/30 this season.”
MLB Network and NHL Network reporter Jon Morosi joins Wyman and Bob weekly, typically at 5 p.m. each Wednesday. Hear this week’s full conversation in the podcast at this link or in the player below, and catch the show from 2-7 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.
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