JROD Show in the Midsummer Classic, Seattle style: Julio Rodriguez named to 2023 All-Star game
By Charles Hamaker
San Francisco, CA – Already heading to an event during All-Star week due to his status in the Home Run Derby, Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez has been named to the American League’s All-Star roster as an injury replacement player in place of Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez. Julio has had his share of struggles in his sophomore season, but has been able to find some improvement in the months of May and June, trying to keep that rolling while using July and potentially his Home Run Derby + All-Star game appearances as a launch point for the rest of his season as the Mariners try to make a second consecutive playoff appearance. Seattle’s newest adopted son will represent the Emerald City on perhaps the biggest stage in baseball, and can continue to add to his legacy.
Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez’s 2023 through photos to this point (Photos by Liv Lyons)
Back-to-back
Julio will continue to add to his trophy case, an additional accolade for the Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic born centerfielder as his young career continues to impress. A second straight appearance in the Midsummer Classic is impressive all on its own, let alone the sort of numbers that he’s putting up and everything that he already did in year one of his career. While his year so far hasn’t been “stellar,” per say, Rodriguez continues to give Mariners fans moments to remember and highlight after highlight as Seattle tries to climb their way back into a playoff spot. In a talented outfield where he’s bookended by another young talent in Jarred Kelenic and a veteran in Teoscar Hernandez, Julio is the star and continues to take the necessary strides for him to be great. Whether that’s picking up a teammate after a rough moment or hitting the ball to all fields, Julio is growing, and that’s a good thing. Getting nods like this is a great bonus.
Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez’s 2023 through photos to this point (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)
Jump starting his season?
As mentioned, Julio has been able to start the upwards trend for his season, seeing gradual progression in his overall slash numbers until June while staying the month of July hot. The possibility of a sophomore slump is real, as pitchers have now seen Rodriguez following his impressive award-winning rookie season and are able to break down film on him better. If we take a dive into his underlying numbers, Julio has been able to display strong numbers in all but a few areas. His power is still present at the plate, while his hitting numbers have been strong. His fielding numbers remain elite as he’s still one of the best defensive fielders in the game. The main, glaring issue when you look at the deeper statistics on Julio are his chase numbers and generally having a bad eye at the plate. He isn’t taking as many walks as he should, and is striking out more than he should be.
Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez throughout the 2023 season to this point (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Another J making a case?
Similar to the comparisons in our piece about George Kirby making the All-Star game as compared to Luis Castillo getting the nod first, some figured that given Jarred Kelenic’s breakout play and Julio Rodriguez’s struggles, Kelenic might have earned a nod. Jarred and Julio have had essentially ying-yang season, as Rodriguez began the season slow and has worked to start progressing upwards as of late while Kelenic began hot and has seen a bit of a regression as the year has gone on. Both have the issues of having an eager eye at the plate, and you can certainly make an issue for either of them to be here at the Midsummer Classic, but considering his face value and MLB making him the face of Mariners baseball, I understand why they went with Rodriguez.