New Seattle Mariners Hitting Coach Offers Great Assessment of Julio Rodriguez
If the Seattle Mariners are going to make noise in 2025, superstar outfielder Julio Rodriguez is going to have to be the catalyst.
Entering his fourth season, Rodriguez is the focal point of the offense. And with the front office group unable to really add around him this offseason, they'll need him to have a much bigger year than he did in 2024.
While Rodriguez's .273 average and 20 homer, 24 stolen base season wasn't bad, it wasn't the same as the two All-Star seasons before it.
But at just the age of 24, there's more in the tank for Rodriguez and new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer is excited to help unlock it.
He made the following comments on Seattle Sports 710 this week.
“Julio Rodríguez is just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of doing and being.”
Check out the Mariners Pod to hear what new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer had to say on last week’s Hot Stove Show http://atmlb.com/3tQdK8E
“Julio Rodríguez is just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of doing and being.”
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) January 31, 2025
Check out the Mariners Pod to hear what new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer had to say on last week’s Hot Stove Show ➡️ https://t.co/6p7H5RuV4x pic.twitter.com/dOnsG1zbda
Seitzer, who was just hired this offseason, compared Rodriguez to superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., who he coached in Atlanta for years. That's reason enough for M's fans to have optimism.
Rodriguez won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2022 as he helped the M's get to the playoffs. He hit 32 homers and drove in 103 in 2023 as well.
In addition to him, the M's will count on Cal Raleigh, Randy Arozarena and Jorge Polanco to help carry the lineup in 2025. They'll also look for a bounceback from J.P. Crawford.
The Mariners will report to spring training in just under two weeks.
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