ESPN's Buster Olney Weighs in On Idea of Seattle Mariners Moving Julio Rodriguez Off CF
SEATTLE - A few weeks ago, I read a piece from Seattle Mariners' writer Luke Arkins. The article was based on the question of whether or not the M's should move Julio Rodriguez off centerfield in order to preserve his future health.
It cited the way in which Mike Trout has broken down as an example of the toll that centerfield can take on a player, even an elite one like Trout or Rodriguez.
Good morning! This one may not be well received…
— Luke Arkins (@luke_arkins) March 5, 2025
Should the #Mariners consider moving Julio Rodríguez out of center field? https://t.co/SQq9wuOalN
Inspired by that article, I asked ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney about the toll that centerfield can take:
The answer is yes and that's based on conversations with center fielders through the years who make the transition. I remember talking to Torii Hunter, who, you remember, for years, he was a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder. And then when Mike Trout emerged, they talked to Torii about sliding over to right field, and he was like 'what a difference.' Like, he absolutely loved it. Now, how quickly will the the Mariners do that? That's going to depend not only on where Julio goes physically,where his weight is... Does he thicken up as he gets older, do his skills go down? And do they have someone who could step in and be as good as he is defensively? Those are always sort of the variables that go at play here. Look, Aaron Judge last year did Yeoman's work for the Yankees playing center field. I saw him at the end of the year, and it looked like he just was not moving very well at all. So it wasn't a surprise that they wanted to take pressure off and put him back in that cozy right field in Yankee Stadium and not have him run around as much in center field.
You can hear the full interview with Olney below:
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