J-Rod turns focus to Opening Day after emotional Classic
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Julio Rodríguez returned to the Mariners from the World Baseball Classic before he would’ve appreciated, however now that he’s again, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year has shifted his focus solely to Opening Day.
“It felt like our bodies were in Spring Training, but our minds were just like racing,” Rodríguez stated. “But it was fun. It was fun just being there and getting in the spirits with all the guys and getting to talk to all of them and pick up some stuff from them. It was pretty good.”
Rodríguez went 5-for-18 with a double and three RBIs over 4 video games for Team Dominican Republic, which didn’t make it out of Pool D play after dropping a winner-take-all sport towards Puerto Rico on Wednesday. It was a disappointing end, provided that Team D.R. was arguably the favourite to win all of it, however there have been a couple of large moments for the 22-year-old — none larger than his diving catch within the left-center-field hole in that elimination sport.
“I was definitely hyped after that one,” Rodríguez stated. “I definitely made a little bit of a mistake before that, and being able to basically get myself back together and be there for the team, even though we didn’t get the results that we wanted.”
The mistake he referenced was on a one-hop line drive from Francisco Lindor that sailed previous Rodríguez’s left aspect, reached the center-field wall and became an inside-the-park homer. It was a irritating second, however one emblematic of Rodríguez’s capacity to rapidly flush the negatives, very like he did early in his rookie 12 months.
Beyond the blunder, the Classic represented 10 lengthy days in Miami that spanned emotions of humility to rewarding to overwhelming — all elevated with the delight of enjoying for his homeland alongside superstars like Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Rafael Devers and new teammate Teoscar Hernández.
Rodríguez performed within the postseason and All-Star Game as a rookie in 2022. How did the Classic examine?
“I just feel like it’s a different fanbase,” Rodríguez stated. “It’s like people that grew up in the Dominican Republic and that’s what they know. And it’s just different, like it’ll never be the same. … Every time you see a Dominican team taking the field, you’re going to see those flags. I just felt like they’re going to celebrate us every time that we get on the field.”
Mariners supervisor Scott Servais highlighted that Rodríguez additionally might have discovered the good thing about “structure,” particularly in sustaining a routine that grew to become so detailed, but seamless throughout his first full season.
“You take players from all different organizations and whatever, you kind of throw them all together, and you’re not quite used to that,” Servais stated. “Sometimes, your routine, your program, gets a little bit out of whack and it’s just not as comfortable. That’s what the structure does. It creates a confidence level and a comfort level like, ‘OK, I’m ready to go right now.’ So he’s happy to be back.”
Saturday marked Rodríguez’s seventh Cactus League sport. With the common season looming and after the emotional highs and lows of the Classic, he’d prefer to get as many reps earlier than the March 30 opener at T-Mobile Park towards the Guardians. Because because the lights get brighter in his sophomore season, Rodríguez intends to be deliberate about his high priorities: baseball, efficiency and competitiveness.
“I feel like I’m back on my track and kind of with all the flow of things here,” Rodríguez stated. “The timing, I’ve definitely got to get some more at-bats and get it going for the season.”
