Julio Rodríguez's start to his Mariners career is even better than you think

In recent seasons the Seattle Mariners have had a reputation of being a strong second-half baseball team. The only exception to this came last year, when they (in)famously held a 10.0-game lead at the top of the AL West on June 19, but ultimately finished one game short of the playoff spots.

Here are the Mariners' first- and second-half records (i.e., first 81 games and last 81 games) for the last four seasons:

How the rest of this season plays out remains to be seen, but at least Julio Rodríguez is repeating his trick of always having a strong second-half surge. Even though critics claim you can't rely on this from him, it appears you actually can as he's now doing this for a fourth consecutive time since he entered the majors in 2022.

Since July 11 and the beginning of the dominant sweep of the Tigers in Detroit, Rodríguez is in the running to be arguably the best player in MLB. Among all qualifying players he's fourth with 15 home runs, fifth with a .982 OPS, third with a 175 wRC+ and second with a 2.6 fWAR.

Second-half Julio Rodríguez is a different beast

Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com put together an excellent in-depth analysis of the difference between first half and second Rodríguez during his career to date. Harrigan looks at aspects including average bat speed, whiff rate and hard-hit rate, but what really stands out is the average wRC+, which jumps from 114 to 153.

There remains a vocal section of the fan base and media alike (both locally and nationally), who contend Rodríguez is still an inconsistent underachiever. The basis for this narrative is the combination of his five-tool talent and the long-term mega deal he signed late in the 2022 season.

However, when you look at the entire picture the reality is the three-time All-Star is enjoying a fine season as a whole. He's well on the way to a second 30/30 season, has an overall 122 OPS+, and has been outstanding defensively, with a genuine chance of winning the first Gold Glove of his career.

Julio Rodríguez already leaving his mark on M's and MLB history

Further, what Rodríguez is achieving in 2025 is reflective of his career as a whole. For example, this season he became the first player in Major League history to begin his career with four consecutive 20/20 campaigns.

As for the Mariners, just consider that by the end of this season he will be second all-time in franchise history for highest rWAR by a player in their first four years. He is currently third with a 21.2 rWAR, but should soon overtake the great Ken Griffey Jr., who is currently second with a 21.4 rWAR. (Ichiro Suzuki is first with a 26.0 rWAR.)

Let's be clear in conceding Rodríguez should be producing better on a more consistent basis, just because of his undoubted potential as a generational superstar. At the same time he's doing better than people truly realize and he's still only 24, which should scare the rest of baseball and make M's fans appreciate how fortunate they are to have him.