TORONTO — And the man-child shall lead them into the place where legends are born and triumphs are immortalized.
The exploits and accomplishments of Julio Rodriguez, of which there are many despite his limited time in professional baseball, have already been written or spoken often into the lore of the precocious 21-year-old prodigy turned baseball phenomenon.
But on Friday, a new chapter could be written into the mythology of Rodriguez’s ascension from a future star and a Seattle fan favorite to Major League Baseball’s next superstar.
Regardless of what he’s accomplished so far — including a first season that exceeded all expectations (except perhaps his own) and makes him the obvious choice for the American League rookie of the year, while leading the Mariners back into the postseason for the first time since 2001 — the intensely scrutinized stage of the postseason separates the good, the great and the elite.
MLB wild-card series
Mariners at Blue Jays
“He’s a generational-type player,” Servais said. “And fortunately for us, he’s going to have a Mariners uniform on for a long, long time. It’s fortunate for our fan base and really the whole industry of baseball. This guy’s special. We talk about it all the time. We see it here in Seattle, but the whole world’s about to see it on the biggest stage — Major League Baseball’s postseason.”
Rodriguez’s supreme confidence in his preparation as much as his talent and high baseball IQ won’t allow him to get overwhelmed by the moment.
“He accepts every challenge and then when the lights gets brighter, he seems to shine even more,” Dipoto said. “I think is going to be the first of what are the many opportunities for him to shine in this environment.”
It’s not arrogance for Rodriguez to believe he’s the difference-maker to the Mariners’ success. It’s what has transpired this season. He wants to be that player in the big moments.
And if there were ever a moment that he doubted, Ty France, who often bats behind him offers a reminder. Somewhere in the middle of the season, France, who refers to himself as “Julio’s babysitter,” started addressing and referring to his young teammate as “the best player in baseball”
“You can’t really say enough for what he did for us this year,” France said. “He’s carried the team for a while. I don’t remember exactly when it started. I’m lucky I hit behind him every day and get to watch what he does. As a young guy, one of the biggest things is having that confidence, so by me telling him that every day is just that little pick-me-up hopefully for him that, he is the best player in baseball. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of that and I tried to do it as often as I could.”
When he steps in the batters’ box late Friday afternoon, presumably as the Mariners’ first hitter of the game, Rodriguez will be living out a daily dream of his childhood spent in Loma De Cabrera of the Dominican Republic.
“Every day or any time I was playing baseball with my friends in the street or every time I was on the field, I feel it was pretty much an everyday thought for me,” Rodriguez said.
It became an everyday thought for Rodriguez after he was in attendance for the final series of the 2021 season against the Angels when 45,000 fans packed T-Mobile Park for three straight days hoping to will the Mariners into the postseason.
“It’s funny because a few days ago on my Snapchat it popped a video where everybody had their (cellphone) lights on and the whole stadium was going crazy,” he said. “A year ago, I was really in the stadium I was able to watch how hungry these fans were. I felt more motivated to put the work in and come out and deliver for the team.”
Arriving at his big league spring training, trimmer, faster and somehow still stronger than previous years, and singularly focused on making the Mariners opening day roster as the starting centerfielder, Rodriguez hit a preposterous homer — a 431-foot tank with a 117-mph exit velocity — in his first Cactus League at-bat and never slowed down.
With each day’s display of talent and potential, he never allowed Dipoto nor Servais to consider a roster without him. Displaying a veteran’s maturity in his relentless work-ethic and focus on daily preparation while also infecting his teammates with his impish joy and enthusiasm that comes from playing a child’s game, he wouldn’t be denied.
His much-anticipated MLB debut was followed by a frustrating first month where umps rang him up for strikes on pitches out of the zone and he struck out more than any time his professional career. But Rodriguez believed that what he was doing before the game and during it would eventually right itself.
“I’m not going to be chasing (pitches) because I’ve never done that,” he said at the time. “I’m staying true to myself even if I still get those calls though. God is watching and what goes around comes around.”
It did change. Rodriguez started to come around, starting with one of Servais’ favorite “bright lights” moments on May 1. Rodriguez hit his first homer of his MLB career — a 450-foot missile with a 110 mph exit velocity off Marlins’ ace Sandy Alcantara, the frontrunner for the National League Cy Young award, on 1-1 sinker at 97 mph. Alcantara allowed just 16 homers in 228 1/3 innings. Rodriguez’s was the longest.
“That day I was so mad because I mean, I threw my best pitch against him,” Alcantara said at the All-Star game. “He was ready for it, and he hit a big homer.”
From there, Rodriguez began to produce and gain confidence. By midseason he was the Mariners’ most dangerous hitter, earning a spot on the All-Star team. There was of course the unforgettable home run derby where he blasted 81 homers and stole the show.
“It was awesome,” Servais said.
Dipoto’s favorite moment came this spring as Rodriguez was awaiting batting practice and showing off his custom painted navy Victus bat covered with teal variations of “J-Rod” plastered on it — the same one he used in the home run derby.
“Out of nowhere he said to me, ‘Do you think I can play center field?’” Dipoto recalled. “I said, ‘I think you can.’”
Rodriguez replied, “I love when people think I can’t do something.”
Playing the game Dipoto fired back: “Well, I don’t think you can get 30 (homers)-30 (stolen bases).”
Gripping that special bat, Rodriguez smiled and said, “Alright, you’re on.”
Rodriguez finished with 28 homers and 25 stolen bases in 130 games played.
“If he didn’t have a couple of setbacks physically, the 30-30 thing would have been a reality. He’s had a remarkable year, and he accepts every challenge.”
The latest challenge is helping lead the Mariners past the Blue Jays in the wild-card series, guaranteeing a postseason game at T-Mobile Park, and blazing the path to a World Series title.
“He’s the guy that grabs the flag and runs up the hill and everybody runs behind him,” Servais said. “He’s got a ton of confidence. He’s a great player. I’m looking forward to seeing how he reacts in this environment.”