Getty Images Julio Rodriguez and Ichiro Suzuki
Fans of the Seattle Mariners have been treated to some legendary play in center field over the years. From Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr. to a man who will soon join him in Cooperstown, Ichiro Suzuki.
Now, a new generation of All-Star is patrolling the outfield grass at T-Mobile Park. Julio Rodriguez enters his third MLB season walking in the footsteps of greatness.
Rodriguez, 23, is considered one of the best young players in baseball. He is the definition of a five-tool player and has been an All-Star for both of his first two seasons. After capturing the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2022, he followed that up by hitting .275 with 32 home runs and 103 RBI.
He also made the 30-30 club by swiping 37 bags. So, there isn’t much he can’t do on the diamond, and he still hasn’t reached his full potential yet.
Much like his predecessors, Julio Rodriguez is also considered the crown jewel of the Mariners franchise, as he carries on an Emerald City tradition in center field. Perhaps that’s why he’s managed to forge such a close relationship with Ichiro since joining the ballclub.
From One Generation to the Other
It’s become commonplace to see Ichiro and Julio Rodriguez together, and this spring training hasn’t been much different. According to Seattle Sports broadcaster (and former Washington Huskies quarterback) Brock Huard, the connection with the baseball icon has been invaluable to the young star.
“How advantageous is it for this organization to have Ichiro?” Huard said. “Seriously. For Julio, at that level of stardom, to go, ‘I’m a big deal, but right now I’m playing toss with a guy that’s a lot bigger deal than me, that is a worldwide icon.’ … The weight of carrying stardom and all eyes on you all the time.”
It’s not rare to see the #Mariners‘ Julio Rodríguez playing catch with Ichiro whenever they get a chance. And as @BrockHuard & @TheMikeSalk discussed, the M’s are lucky to have that valuable connection between the two icons.
Story + video here.
Mike Salk, Huard’s co-host on the ‘Brock & Salk‘ show, concurred with his partner’s analysis.
“Julio – last year – had to sort of learn about, as you said, kind of shrinking the circle. And I think he is gonna start to keep people at more of an arm’s length, and you know that was gonna happen. So who’s he out there with? Ichiro. The only person here who truly understands what that’s like.”
Ichiro Provided Julio Rodriguez With Some Advice
For his part, Rodriguez is taking advantage of his mentor’s knowledge and experience. He relayed a story to Seattle Sports about some advice that Ichiro gave him regarding how he should carry himself as a star player.
“I talked to Ichiro about it,” the man they call ‘J-Rod’ said. “I was curious and I asked the question, and he basically said something along the lines of, ‘People might look at you different, but you can never look at yourself different.’ Whenever he told me that, it kind of clicked in my head, like, OK, whoever wants to see me different because of what I’m doing on the field or what I’m doing off the field or whatever, that’s their deal.”
Good to see Julio out playing catch with Ichiro again.
“And the way that I look at myself and the way that I go about my work, and the way that I go about my practice, about my preparation and all that, that’s my deal, that’s my choice,” he continued. “And that cannot be impacted by anybody or by any other way that people are looking at me.”
“So I feel like whenever he said that, it kind of struck me as OK, people’s perspective about me can change and they can look at me different, but what I see from myself and where I want to go can never change. That’s something that I’ve really taken to heart and I’m gonna keep living by.”
With those words of wisdom to live by, Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners are set to open the 2024 season on March 28, when they host the Boston Red Sox.