Julio Rodriguez’s personal hitting coach ‘confident’ breakthrough is coming for Mariners star

SEATTLE – Four hours before first pitch Tuesday, Julio Rodriguez was back in the batting cage on the T-Mobile Park infield, taking extra rounds of batting practice with three noted hitting instructors watching closely.

Jarret DeHart, the Seattle Mariners’ hitting coach, leaned forward on a small elevated step directly behind the cage.

Edgar Martinez, the hall of fame designated hitter, watched from his usual spot on the right side of the cage, carrying on a conversation with Rodriguez’s personal hitting instructor, Ovi Diaz.

Between rounds, Rodriguez and Diaz chatted outside the cage. Diaz would simulate movements with his hands going forward, and Rodriguez, bat in hand, would copy the hand load with exaggerated, slow-motion half swings.

Rodriguez is searching for his swing – searching for the right tweak to unleash his prodigious potential – and Diaz is here to help him find it.

“We’re close,” Diaz said.

Rodriguez hit .206 with a .574 OPS in 102 at-bats in June, and on Tuesday he was dropped to seventh in the batting order for the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles. It’s the lowest he’s hit in the lineup since May 7, 2022.

After an 0-for-4 performance Tuesday – including striking out swinging with runners on second and third in the ninth inning of a 2-0 loss – it may not be a quick fix.

“Hopefully, it gets something going,” M’s manager Scott Servais said. “We need everybody to pick it up and contribute offensively. It’s not just one guy. But Julio is the main guy.”

Diaz counts some 40 major-league hitters as clients. Among them: Rodriguez and Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco, along with Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, Texas’ Adolis Garcia, Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena, the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe, to name some.

Diaz spends most of his time with those sluggers during offseason training sessions at his base in Tampa, Florida, but he’ll make special trips out to see clients during the season as needed.

At DeHart’s request, Diaz came to Seattle last Thursday.

It’s fairly common for big-leaguers to have personal instructors these days, and Diaz described a strong working relationship with DeHart and the Mariners’ front office.

Diaz said he thinks of himself as the co-pilot. DeHart’s the captain, and Diaz will help with navigation, so to speak, as needed.

“‘JD (DeHart) is a great guy,” Diaz said. “He’ll give me something and I’ll give him something, and then we try to put it all together. …

“The more eyes they can get on board, the better it is. I’ve been with Julio for four or five years already, before he was rookie of the year. He trusts me a lot.”

Diaz plans to remain in town to work with Rodriguez and Polanco (and then Guerrero when the Blue Jays come to town this weekend) through Sunday.

Basically, Diaz is going to be here until Rodriguez feels comfortable and confident again in the batter’s box, and Diaz is encouraged after watching Rodriguez through the weekend series against Minnesota.

Rodriguez had just two hits in 14 at-bats against the Twins (with only one strikeout), but he did have several hard-hit line drives that were caught. Diaz likes the progress he’s seeing with how Rodriguez is better incorporating his legs into his setup, something they’ve worked on intently over the past few days.

“I like what we’re building toward,” Diaz said. “I feel confident.”

Rhythm and timing have been an emphasis.

“He’s starting late, the whole movement of his body,” Diaz said. “He was rocking too much back and forth.”

Last offseason, Rodriguez and Diaz eliminated the pronounced dip Rodriguez would initiate in his legs just as the pitcher was set to release a pitch. It was too much movement, they felt, at the time.

They realize now that Rodriguez is too upright in his stance, and he’s not using his legs enough. Getting his legs reengaged, they hope, will help him get on time for fastballs.

Rodriguez, Diaz said, has actually grown an inch or so since his rookie season two years ago, when he was listed at 6-feet-3.