Hello and welcome back to FanPost Friday. Inspired by last week’s vibe check polls, I’ve decided to try to dig a bit deeper on how we’re feeling about Julio Rodríguez so far this season and why. This poll result from last week really stood out to me:
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The other leading vote getters for most disappointing bat through 13 games were Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, and J.P. Crawford. As we discussed in the comments last week, no real conclusions can be drawn this early. But still, I find it really interesting that Julio has become this lightning rod for criticism among fans due to the combination of massive potential, high expectations, lucrative contract, large team-led marketing presence, and perhaps his own willingness to take on the challenge of being the “face” of the team and one of its leaders.