Mariners' Rodríguez unhappy with 2023 performance
Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez doesn't believe he produced enough during his sophomore season.
"I wasn't happy with it," Rodríguez said Tuesday, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. "I feel like a lot of people can say, 'Oh, like he was fourth in the MVP. He did this. He did that. How can you not be happy?' But I feel like there were a lot of moments that I feel like I should have done better."
The 23-year-old became only the second player in franchise history to post a 30-30 campaign, going deep 32 times with 37 stolen bases to earn a second straight All-Star nod and a fourth-place finish in AL MVP voting.
However, Rodríguez posted a lower OPS (.818) and wRC+ (126) than his AL Rookie of the Year-winning season in 2022 and struck out 30 more times. The young superstar struggled with consistency, slashing .251/.315/.423 with 17 homers through the first 103 games before tearing up the majors with 15 long balls and a .972 OPS over 52 contests in August and September.
"I know my ability," Rodríguez added, according to Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com. "I want do my best to win on this team. Nobody is going to get as frustrated as I do. The only thing I can do is learn from it, grow from it, work on it and get better"
Rodríguez also said he feels good about Seattle's chances of winning the AL West after finishing two games behind the Houston Astros last season.
The Mariners ended up missing the playoffs by one game, finishing with a 88-74 record after making the ALDS in 2022.