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Welcome to the Jubilant J-Rod Show
It’s showtime
Showtime is coming to Seattle. I say that not because I have obsessed over Winning Time recently, but because Julio Rodriguez has Magic Johnson magnetism and potential. The jubilant J-Rod show will be one that nobody will want to miss.
Not only is Rodriguez a fearsome hitter (see his first AB from this spring) and a solid fielder with speed, he brings contagious energy in the same way Magic did for the Showtime Lakers. All one has to do is watch his recent inside-the-park home run and his reaction after sliding into home.
It’s the very energy and youthful joy for the game the Mariners have been lacking since another rookie phenom joined the team in 2001. Which is also the last year the Mariners tasted the playoffs. It has been over 20 years of baseball pain ever since for M’s fans.
Julio Rodriguez will change that. As he said to Mariners Manager Scott Servais after being told he made the opening day roster:
Not since another Rodriguez who shall not be named has a Mariners prospect arrived with so much excitement and expectation. Felix Hernandez was special, but we only enjoyed the King’s Court every fifth day.
As a position player who will likely start in centerfield, Julio Rodriguez will have the opportunity to make an impact everyday.
