Mariners’ Alberto Rodriguez Learns Valuable Lessons From A Lost 2022
After a disappointing 2022 season, Alberto Rodriguez bounced back in a major way.
The 22-year-old Dominican outfielder was one of the top sluggers in High-A this season, batting .306/.393/.580 with 11 home runs through 72 games with Everett.
“This year, he really did turn a corner, both as a player and as a person,” Everett hitting coach Mike Fransoso said.
Rodriguez had a breakout 2021 with Low-A Modesto, earning him a spot on the Mariners’ 40-man roster for Rule 5 draft protection.
But the lefthanded hitter struggled in Everett last year, hitting just .261/.336/.396 while seeing his strikeout rate jump to 26%. During the offseason, he was dropped from the 40-man roster.
“Sometimes young players come in and kind of go through the motions and think they’re bulletproof,” Fransoso said. “And then you kind of get slapped in the face.
“For some, it’s quicker than others. But at some point, I think all the good players realize, ‘I’ve gotta put in the work for what I want.’ . . . And he really took the reins in that.”
After falling out of shape in 2022, Rodriguez focused on his conditioning last offseason.
“He came into camp this year looking a lot better,” Fransoso said.
Rodriguez also has worked to tighten his swing.
“He’s a guy who has a lot of moving parts in his swing,” Fransoso said. “That’s how he moves, that’s how he’s wired, and it works for him. I think it just got a little out of control.
“So we kind of just reined it in. We made it just a little bit tighter (and) gave him a little bit more margin for error . . . And he was able to get to a few more fastballs on the inner part of the plate.”
After last year’s struggles, Rodriguez has a new outlook.
“He’s not chasing numbers,” Fransoso said. “He’s not chasing a batting average. He’s not chasing trying to get promoted. He’s really just where his feet are.
“He comes to work every day. He knows what he needs to do . . . And he lets the results kind of take care of themselves.”
MARINADE
— Righthander Isaiah Campbell pitched a perfect inning of relief in his July 7 major league debut against the Astros. The 25-year-old excelled in the minors the past two seasons after recovering from 2021 elbow surgery and moving to the bullpen last June. The 2019 second-rounder posted a 2.63 ERA in 24 innings at Double-A Arkansas this year, with 27 strikeouts and just seven walks.
— Righthander Taylor Dollard was slated to undergo labrum surgery on his pitching shoulder, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander announced on June 27. Dollard had a breakout 2022 with Double-A Arkansas, logging a 2.25 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 144 innings. But the 24-year-old, a 2020 fifth-rounder out of Cal Poly, made just three starts with Triple-A Tacoma this season before landing on the injured list.
