Commentary: Julio Rodriguez struggling while trying to right the Mariners’ ship

SEATTLE – If you didn’t see where the balls landed, you might say it was one of Julio Rodriguez’s better games of the season on Wednesday.

The second-year Mariner scorched a line drive into Rangers left fielder Robbie Grossman’s glove in his first at-bat, singled to right in his second, then launched a slider to the right-field warning track in his third.

Plate discipline or hard contact were nonissues in those situations, making it seem as though Mariners skipper Scott Servais’ decision to move Rodriguez from the leadoff spot to sixth in the lineup was paying off.

After all, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year needed something to jump-start his sluggish season, as he entered the game with a slash line of 204/.271/.387 – numbers demonstrably shy of what he posted last season.

But even though he struck pitches well throughout the afternoon, the center fielder still finished 1 for 4 with a strikeout in a 4-3 loss to Texas that left the Mariners at 18-19. And if you’re concerned that Rodriguez’s first season will go down as his best season, well, you have every right to be.

That sentence above was not a prediction. It’s not even a probability. But it is certainly a possibility – because two things can be true at once. 1. Julio is the most naturally gifted 22-year-old to wear a Mariners jersey since Alex Rodriguez. 2. The pressure of being a star mixed with the league’s ability to adjust to him could lead to disappointing – if not still high-quality – long-term production.

No one doubts Rodriguez’s talent – his speed, his power, his defensive ability. It’s rare that you’ll watch nine innings of Mariners baseball and not see him do something impressive.

Teams just don’t hand out contracts to 21-year-olds guaranteeing at least $210 million if they aren’t awestruck. Rodriguez left all of MLB feeling that way in his inaugural season – when he slashed .284/.345/.509 while posting 28 home runs and 25 stolen bases en route to a 6.2 WAR. But what he doesn’t have is a long track record of success or a full season shouldering superstar expectations.

Those expectations may very well have affected his performance through this first month and a half, with Rodriguez chasing more pitches outside of strike zone. Servais pointed to Julio’s refusal to lay off said pitches earlier this week. On Wednesday, the manager added that Rodriguez may be putting an unnecessary burden on himself to push the struggling M’s toward the top of the standings.

“He does take probably too much responsibility for the success of our team and our offense,” said Servais, who was pleased with Rodriguez’s performance Wednesday. “He’s just one of nine. He just happens to maybe be the most talented of all the nine and he takes that responsibility serious.”

There doesn’t seem to be anything unfixable about Rodriguez’s underwhelming start. Pitchers haven’t found a “Julio hack” that leaves the Dominican flailing after every plate appearance. Yes, as Seattle Times Mariners writer Ryan Divish pointed out, opponents are throwing him more four-seam fastballs inside under his hands, or low sinkers toward his back foot early in counts, or breaking pitches low and away that prompt Rodriguez to chase. But Julio has demonstrated a knack for tattooing fastballs in the past – and the out-of-the-zone swings can be curtailed.

It’s worth noting that Rodriguez’s April last season was hardly stratospheric – as he finished the month batting .205. Then again, that was his first month in Major League Baseball. There isn’t enough information to say that he’s simply a slow starter and will be fine going forward. We’ll just have to see.

To Rodriguez’s credit, he’s handling his shortcomings and repositioning in the batting order with grace.

On the switch to hitting sixth?

“I was on board with it, “Rodriguez said. “I started hitting leadoff because it was the best thing for the team. And now if hitting sixth is the best thing for the team, that’s where I’m going to be hitting now.”

On the benefits of moving down in the lineup?

“It gives you some time to relax and take the game in. … Normally, I sprint in, go straight to the batter’s box basically, so being able to calm it down, see how he (Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning) was throwing to the guys. It just puts the whole at-bat in a different perspective.”

On what he sees for himself going forward?

“To be honest with you, it’s just really close. I feel like things are going in the right direction. I feel really happy with where things are sitting right now. I (didn’t) want to say (that) earlier, but right now I feel really happy.”

Rodriguez certainly isn’t the primary reason for the M’s middling start. He’s just one player – and in baseball, one player can only do so much.

Hopefully Julio realizes that. Because at this moment, he seems to be a player trying to do too much.