A conversation with Julio Rodriguez

When Spring Training began it seemed that Julio Rodriguez had an outside shot of making the Mariners Opening Day roster. He and Jerry Dipoto both expressed a possibility of Julio sliding into centerfield, but not many thought he was an option for opening day. Julio has taken Peoria by storm, and I got a chance to chat with him about it, so give it a listen.

To no surprise Julio Rodriguez brushed off the transition to centerfield, citing it as an easy move.

"“That is a position that if you have the ability, it is a really easy position to play”"

He explained that Mike Cameron, Franklin Guttierez, and Ichiro have all been influential in his outfield play and making the move to centerfield giving him tips and helping him improve.

His offseason was jam packed with baseball activity and training to prepare for the upcoming season. After spending the first few weeks of the offseason spending time with family, Julio got to work immediately.

He went down to Arizona to take part in the Mariners High Performance camp, working out with fellow prospects. The work didn’t stop, heading straight to Tampa to work out with his personal trainer, spending January to the end of the lockout in Tampa intensely working out in preparation for camp to break.

I asked Julio Rodriguez about his offseason training as a hitter, and the shift to lower his hands in his setup.

"“Honestly when I was younger I used to hit with my hands kinda like that, so I went back to my basics. That’s why you see my hands a little lower, just to be more simple and make everything easier”"

This move was designed for comfort and efficiency and it is showing up in a big way.

This move was designed for comfort and efficiency and it is showing up in a big way. Julio Rodriguez is tearing things up.  Even though there have been struggles they have been minimal, especially for a 21-year-old kid.

Another huge change in Julio’s world this offseason was the creation of his own clothing brand in partnership with a company called BlueChip. He loves the ability to customize his clothing, and the ability to do so with BlueChip has been seamless.

"“I honestly like to have my own choice of things, being able to create my own clothing line is really important to me”"

He recommended me the J Rod hoodie with the space needle, and needless to say, I placed my order immediately. Something tells me Mariner fans are going to love everything about this kid, and anything that he chooses to do.

A week from yesterday we may see Julio trot out into centerfield for the first time in the regular season for the Mariners. His inside-the-park home run seems to have all but secured him a place on the roster, and the numbers speak for themselves. The kid is going to be something special.

And yes, I asked him and he has caught his breath from last night.