It's Fair to Want Consistency, But Julio Rodriguez is Already a Special Player

Earlier this week, Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez rewrote the record books, in multiple ways.

First, he became only the second Mariners player to record 20 stolen bases in each of his first four seasons (joining Ichiro), then he became the first player in baseball history to record at least 15 homers and 20 stolen bases in each of his first four seasons.

He's homered three times in his last two games and is a major reason why the Mariners enter play on Saturday at 55-49 and in the second spot in the American League wild card picture.

As I explained on the most recent edition of the Refuse to Lose podcast, Mariners fans (myself included) need to do a better job appreciating Rodriguez.

It's fair to want or expect Julio Rodríguez to be more. It is fair, and Julio is not immune from criticism. But at the end of the day, we do need to recognize that even the package that's here right now in front of us is still a very good and a very impactful player, and we all need to not lose sight of that.

Rodriguez spent much of the first half of the season taking criticism from fans for his slow start, but at 24-years-old, he's already a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger. He runs the bases well and plays Gold Glove-caliber defense. It's certainly understandable that fans want more consistency, rather than the peaks and valleys he's exhibited thus far, but he should be recognized for the special player he already is, rather than being held to the even higher standard of what he could become.

The Mariners will take on the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night at 6:38 p.m. PT.

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