Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners have been struggling at the plate early in the season. Even after a four-game sweep over the Houston Astros, Seattle ranks 28th in the league in batting average (.208). They rank 19th in OBP (.316), 27th in SLG (.342), and 24th in OPS (.658).
Slow starts in Seattle are nothing new. In 2023, the Mariners’ offense ranked 25th in OPS in April, but eventually finished 16th, perfectly average. This year’s slow start has been particularly concerning, however, because of a key advanced metric. Bat speed.
In 2025, the Mariners were 5th in the league in average bat speed as a team, according to Baseball Savant.
This year, the team has fallen to 13th in bat speed, and was at one point as low as 20th in the league in bat speed on April 5th.
In a recent interview, Julio Rodriguez did not hold back when explaining his take on the situation and why he is not worried about the slow start.
Julio Rodriguez Calls Out Online Comments, Says Cold Weather is to Blame
Julio Rodriguez spoke with MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer and said that he finds online comments about the offense to be funny.
“I’ve seen so many things online, man,” said Rodriguez. “The funniest thing I saw, honestly, was about the bat speed: ‘Oh, the Mariners are swinging slower.’ It’s like, we’re not trying to swing slower. It’s just cold … in Seattle.”
How cold? In their first seven home games, Seattle’s high temperature never reached 60 degrees. The average high temperature was 54.7 degrees Fahrenheit, but five of those games were played in the evening, when temperatures dipped into the 40s. The Mariners got slightly better weather during their second homestand against Houston, with the high temperature reaching 66 degrees on both Friday and Saturday. The better weather also seemed to wake up the Mariners’ bats, which scored 29 runs in four games. After averaging 4.14 runs-per-game in their first homestand, Seattle averaged 7.25 runs-per-game in their second homestand.
Rodriguez Appears Confident that Mariners Can Reach Playoffs
“For the people that actually watch all 162 games, you know you’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some,” said Rodriguez. “But eventually, the results will be there. The best teams are going to be playing in the playoffs.”
Of course, starting 4-9 was not optimal, but Rodriguez never seemed to lose his faith in the team. Now on a four-game winning streak, Seattle is 8-9 and trails the Texas Rangers by just 1.5 games in the AL West. They trail the Tampa Bay Rays by one game for the third AL Wild Card.
“We’re not going to win 162 games, either. Or 150 games or something like that,” said Rodriguez. “It’s how you navigate the ups and downs. It’s how you brush off a tough road trip and continue to be in the present moment.”
So far, the Mariners have navigated their first losing streak, and followed it up with a winning streak that has put them right back in the mix for a playoff spot. That does not mean the team will not have more losing streaks to come, but Rodriguez seems to have a healthy midset about how to deal with them.
As for his own slow start at the plate, Rodriguez again, does not seem to be worried.
“I know I put the work in. I know I’m not cutting corners anywhere. That’s why I’m always so confident that things are going to show.”
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