The Seattle Mariners have surprisingly been one of the better teams in the American League to this point in the season. They enter play Wednesday with a 21-14 record, second only to the Detroit Tigers in the AL, and leading the American League West by 2.0 games.
The offense has been much better than expected to this point in the year. While most of that has come from catcher Cal Raleigh, others in the lineup have done their fair share of damage as well.
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In fact, after a strong performance on Tuesday night, Julio Rodriguez may be on the verge of turning around a troubling trend he has set throughout his career.
Since debuting for the Mariners in 2022, Rodriguez has seen his offensive production regress from year to year. In 2022, he posted a 147 OPS+, in 2023 it finished at 130, and last year, the outfielder put up a 116 in that metric.
Things looked to continue after a slow start at the plate this year, but a 3-for-4 performance with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored has turned that around for now. Through 35 games, Rodriguez carries a 117 OPS+.
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The 24-year-old outfielder has always been an elite defender, despite not having a Gold Glove on his mantle … yet. But the offensive decline has been troubling, to say the least, over the last few years, and a turnaround would work wonders for Seattle.
Rodriguez is one of the brightest young stars in the game today. MLB is better when he is at his best.
If Tuesday’s performance was any indication, the M’s are going to be reaping the rewards.