PEORIA, Ariz. -- There's a handful of strong takeaways from my near week-long trip to Peoria, Ariz. for Seattle Mariners spring training.

I've told you on the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast that it's very clear that the M's mean business in 2026, and I've shared with you my impressions of young prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan, who I talked with over the weekend.

One other thing that can't be overstated? Just how good Julio Rodriguez looks at the plate.

Rodriguez, a notoriously slow starter since arriving in the majors in 2022, has at least one hit in all three games he's played in for the Mariners in the Cactus League (2-3).

He had a two-RBI double in Tuesday's loss to the Chicago White Sox as he continues to pepper the ball the other way.

From Monday's podcast:

He had a single to left field in the opener on Friday against the Padres. He had two missiles to right center in this one (against the Reds on Sunday). He's using the whole field. He's hitting the ball hard. He's had only one strikeout in these two games. He has been, I wanna say, kinda judiciously selective. I don't know if it's an approach thing or if he just wants to physically see more pitches, but he has looked really, really good in game action. You can't overreact to spring training numbers, right?

Somebody's gonna hit .050, somebody's gonna hit .650, and they don't mean anything, but it's hard to not be excited about what we're seeing from Julio in terms of his process, in terms of his comfort, and the ease with which he is swinging right now. When, when Julio is struggling, whenever that is, typically at the beginning of seasons, whenever Julio is struggling it looks like he is fighting himself in one way or the other, either fighting his kind of mental approach or fighting his physical mechanics.

Right now, things look really good. He's clearly seeing the ball well. He's hitting it the other way. He's hitting it with authority. He looks very, very comfortable. And, by the way, to me at least, his setup looks a little bit different.."

Still just 25 years old, Rodriguez hit .267 in 2025 with 32 homers, 95 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He posted a 128 OPS+ and earned his third All-Star Game appearance.

If he's able to carry this momentum into the regular season and start fast for the first time in his career, the sky could be the limit for this Mariners offense.

It should be noted that Rodriguez will leave to go play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. He will likely leave at the end of this weekend or very early next week. The tournament begins on March 5.

The M's are taking on the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. PT. Bryan Woo is on the mound for the first time this spring season.

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