Julio Rodriguez Says He's Looking to Carry Momentum From End of 2024 into 2025
The Seattle Mariners went 21-13 in their final 34 games last season. Though they missed the playoffs by one game, the M's clearly played better under new manager Dan Wilson, who took over at that point for the fired Scott Servais.
And M's superstar Julio Rodriguez played well from that point as well, hitting .313 with nine home runs.
There's two schools of thought about that final 34 games: Either they are the perfect building block for 2025 and show what the team is capable of, or it's a six-week mirage, and you can't put anything on a "small sample size."
Rodriguez is choosing the former viewpoiont, as evidenced in a recent piece by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.
“I wanted to keep building on [the finish], because I feel like that's the type of player that I see myself as,” Rodríguez said. “Obviously, you always want to improve, but I think that player is really good.”
Julio Rodríguez arrived at Spring Training with closure to how 2024 ended -- and clarity for how to improve in 2025.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) February 19, 2025
"I definitely took those last six weeks with me into my offseason to try to carry into this year."https://t.co/LtdKSN7ZrB
Beyond his own performance, Rodriguez also discussed the team's performance, feeling just as optimistic about how they finished and what they can take heading into this season.
The 24-year-old Rodriguez hit .273 last season with 20 homers and 68 RBI, but he strugled to maintain consistency all year. That will certainly be a big focus for him this season as he works with hitting coaches Edgar Martinez and Kevin Seitzer.
If the M's are going to improve upon their 85-77 record from a season ago, they'll need Rodriguez to put together a big year. He's already a two-time All-Star and a Rookie of the Year winner (2022).
The Mariners open Cactus League play on Friday against the San Diego Padres and Mariners on SI will be there with live coverage.
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