J-Rod departs for Classic: 'A dream becoming a reality'

PEORIA, Ariz. -- On a brutally hot day last July at Nationals Park, one of the Mariners’ faces of yesteryear approached the one who is becoming that of the present, and chatted about their homeland and their paths to the Majors.

Ahead of a doubleheader between Washington and Seattle, Nelson Cruz, then with the Nationals, approached Julio Rodríguez  , the Dominican Republic star 20 years his junior, about the prospect of playing in the World Baseball Classic. But Rodríguez thought the conversation centered on a pipe dream, not knowing that Cruz was the D.R.'s GM and that the statement was essentially a formal invitation.

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“He kind of made a comment to me, [saying], ‘I think I would like you to play,’” Rodríguez recalled. “And I was like, ‘I don’t know, man. I would want to play, but I don’t know if I’ll get invited or anything like that.’ And he was like, ‘No, I want you to play.’”

That powwow was before Rodríguez’s epic T-Mobile Home Run Derby performance, before he helped the Mariners end their postseason drought and well before he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Cruz’s instincts weren’t novel, as Rodríguez was already establishing himself as a young standout. But the recollection was yet another reminder of how rapidly he’s ascended to superstardom.

Now, he won’t just participate in the Classic, he’ll be one of the headlining faces of it -- particularly atop a D.R. lineup so loaded that it’s arguably the favorite to win it all.

“Oh, it would mean the world,” said Rodríguez. “I feel like since I was a kid I was always a big fan of the World Baseball Classic, and I remember it was a dream of mine as a kid. The whole country is going to have our backs, cheering us on. It’s going to be a dream becoming a reality.”

Rodríguez helped the D.R. win a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when he was still a prospect, an achievement that he remains prouder of than any other in his young career. It’ll be the only time he gets a chance to participate given that the Summer Games take place during the thick of the MLB season. And therein lies another reason he’s so stoked for the Classic -- baseball’s very best players will be in this international tournament compared to the Olympics.

“The passion of the players we bring all together, like everything on the line for the country, I feel I always remember that,” Rodríguez said.

“The fact that you play [the WBC] every four years, you’ve got to lay everything out,” he continued. “There is not going to be all, ‘We’re going to do it tomorrow, we’re going to do it next day or whatever.’ It’s like, ‘We’re going to do it now.’ So I feel like that little pressure, desperation -- winning now -- that’s the only thing that matters.”

There are certainly injury risks for teams allowing their stars to participate in these exhibitions, which was the leading factor for why the Mariners nudged Luis Castillo not to go. But there’s also huge value in playing in these meaningful games, which was part of the reason why the Mariners allowed Rodríguez to play in the Olympics, an uncommon practice for a team’s top prospect.

“I do know that when the bell rings, it's as competitive as it gets for anybody,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “And we can talk playoffs, World Series -- it is at that level from the get-go.”

Two springs ago, Rodríguez was in camp looking to get acclimated with the Major League staff. Last year, his focus was on playing his way onto the Opening Day roster. This year, it’s been a tune-up for the WBC. He’s gone 6-for-16 with a homer and double in six Cactus League games.

“I definitely could not have imagined this last year,” Rodríguez said. “It was a thought that the Classic is going to be next year and all that, but there was never a thought that I could be on that team.”

Also departing to Miami with Rodríguez to play for the Dominican Republic was new teammate Teoscar Hernández, who’s already flashed his elite power this spring, and reliever Diego Castillo. No. 1 prospect Harry Ford (Great Britain), third baseman Eugenio Suárez (Venezuela) and relievers Matt Brash (Canada) and Matthew Festa (Italy) have also departed.