Julio Rodriguez trades his signed, game-used bat for young fan’s hat and candy after hilarious bargain session
Julio Rodriguez’ hitting stats may have taken a dip in 2024, but the Seattle Mariners outfielder remains a fan favorite. Recently, the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year treated a young fan to a memory he will never forget.
On Sunday, J-Rod encountered a young fan near the dugout in St. Louis. After a back-and-forth exchange wherein the young fan offered a plethora of goods, including his shoes and phone case for a bat, Rodriguez eventually waivered and gifted the young admirer a signed bat in exchange for a couple packs of candy.
Julio Rodriguez would then go 2-for-5 in the Mariners’ 10-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Although Rodriguez eventually included the young fan’s hat as a price of the signed bat, the outfielder eventually just signed the hat and returned it to the youngster along with a signed game-used bat.
The winner of the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Award, injuries and lack of consistency have contributed to J-Rod’s worst MLB season yet. in 125 games, the 23 year-old has hit .262/.319/.378 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs – a significant decrease from the 32 home runs, 103 RBIs and .275 batting average that he registered in his sophomore MLB season last year.
“Julio Rodríguez, ahead of his final game at the Oakland Coliseum, grabs some dirt for the road” – Justice delos Santos
Moreover, the Seattle Mariners’ fortunes have reflected that of their star player. Despite leading the AL West with a 10 game lead over the Houston Astros in June, the club is now 73-71, 4.5 games behind Houston, and 3.5 games out of the third and final AL Wild Card berth.
Julio Rodriguez eyes increased output after return from injury
Since August 25, Julio Rodriguez has hit .293 with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs. After coming back from IL with an ankle injury on August 11, the Dominican has shown signs of improvement. As he told the Seattle Times recently:
“I’m feeling a lot better now compared to before,” he said. “I feel like I can impact the team in as many ways as I can” and continued to say “Having some limitations, obviously, is kind of part of the game sometimes.”
The next three weeks will be massively important for the Mariners. If they want any chance of making the playoffs, then Rodriguez will need to shine.
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