February 3, 2026

Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez rebounded from a tough 2024 season by hitting 32 home runs, stealing 30 bases, and producing a respectable .267/.324/.474 slash line. He also reached 106 runs scored and 95 RBI in a career-high 160 games, though he did give us a right ankle scare after getting hit by a line drive while on base. Rodriguez skipped the All-Star game to recuperate from the first half, though we'll note that July was a great fantasy month, with eight homers and seven swipes. You'll recall that Rodriguez had issues with lifting and pulling the ball for much of '24, resulting in the power dip, yet his overall rate of pulled flies and liners fell by 2.5 percentage points in '25. His barrel rate actually slightly dropped despite the better HR tally. And given the offensive reputation of T-Mobile Park, we'll highlight that J-Rod hit 23 of his 32 HRs on the road. His road batting average was 60 points higher than at home, which mirrored the gap in '24. No one can act surprised by now, as this is the package you're drafting. The esteemed ATC projections give him a .272 average with 30 home runs and 28 steals over 153 games. Our RotoBaller ranks have him just outside the top-12 while he carries an ADP around 10. That seems to boil down to whether you prioritize him over the top aces going near the one-two turn!--Nick Mariano