2023-07-11 12:01:42
SEATTLE — Less than a block from T-Mobile Park, the image of Dominican Julio Rodríguez graces the side wall of a bodega. The mural is a nod to the Emerald City team’s young star — and a player the Seattle Mariners hope will stick around in center field for at least the next decade.
At 22, he is already the face of the franchise, and his number 44 fills the jerseys in the stands at every game, home and away. He is saddled with expectations of being the next generation to fill the hallowed center fielder position in Seattle.
All-Star Game week in Seattle was supposed to be Rodriguez’s party, with the All-Star stage for the world to see.
He might still be, even with a season that hasn’t lived up to expectations, for the Dominican or the team.
Julio Rodríguez had already promised to participate in the Home Run Derby on Mondaybut was listed as an injury replacement in the American League following injuries to outfielders Mike Trout and Cuban Yordan Álvarez.
But his and the Mariners’ season hasn’t been what they expected following Rodriguez was named AL Rookie of the Year and Seattle ended a 21-year postseason drought.
“It’s a learning curve,” said Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., the last generational player in Seattle center field. “But it’s going to be okay.”
This season it’s been that learning curve, it’s not a downer in his second year, it’s not a disappointment. Rodríguez’s season has been on par with the team –average. The Mariners are 45-44 at halftime.
Does he deserve to be in the All-Star Game? With a .249 batting average, 13 home runs and 40 RBIs, they’re not stats that stand out. Even his Seattle fans concede that Rodriguez’s season is nowhere near what he did last year and he wasn’t even considered a top 10 All-Star outfielder.
But for a sport that needs top-stage personalities, having Rodríguez — with his youth and beaming smile — home this week is a triumph for the league.
In addition to the All-Star Game events, Rodríguez will be an ambassador for this week’s festivities alongside Griffey, Felix Hernández and Edgar Martínez.
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