Past and present: Ichiro and J-Rod's relationship

This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SEATTLE -- Though their relationship has been fostered for more than three years now, it’s still surreal to spot the intimate interactions between Julio Rodríguez and Ichiro Suzuki.

Their most recent powwow came on Opening Night when Ichiro presented J-Rod with his 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Award, the honor that Ichiro won 21 years prior. But it’s an even more regular sight during Spring Training.

One afternoon, it’s during long toss on a backfield where Rodríguez’s loud echoes become more inaudible as they drift further away between throws. Another, it’s on the turf outside the weight room where Ichiro stretches daily and Rodríguez approaches him more deliberately, with question after question after hitting in the cage. Then there’s the more social interactions when Ichiro drops a trademark, well-executed one-liner that throws both their heads back.

Even for fans outside Seattle -- for anyone who appreciates baseball -- watching the Mariners’ face of yesteryear mingling with the face of the future evokes a blend of nostalgia and awe. It’s even more surreal hearing the 49-year-old Japanese sensation talk so stoically about the Dominican Republic star more than half his age.

“I’m expecting him to be greater,” Ichiro recently said through an interpreter. “There's more to come.”

Ichiro rarely does interviews, only on special occasions, but discussing Rodríguez qualifies, especially as J-Rod emerges as one of MLB’s most prominent players.

"You see a guy and you can just tell that they're going to be different,” Ichiro said. “They have this something about them that they're going to be special. But usually, it doesn't come this quick. Having it happen this fast is definitely something that was great, but when you look at Julio, he hasn't changed at all."

Much of Ichiro’s guidance in Rodríguez’s early years, when he oozed with potential as one of MLB Pipeline’s Top Prospects, centered on advice on the field. In recent months, that commentary has shifted some to guidance in handling himself away from it.

“If you're a type of player that's supposed to be the face of the franchise,” Ichiro said, “it doesn't matter what the expectations or what things come your way -- if it's media or whatever it is -- there are going to be things that come that are going to be out of what a normal player would go through. But it shouldn't affect that player and I think Julio, it doesn't affect him.

“I think the eyes that are on Julio, the criticisms or the judgments that come his way, I feel like he’s harder on himself. He looks at himself in a tougher judgment than the others. And so I think that's what makes that difference.”

In the final week of Spring Training, Rodríguez was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Gentleman’s Quarterly and The Players’ Tribune, underscoring his prominence -- but also how regularly he’s being pulled in many directions. Ichiro, after all, became arguably the most popular player stateside during his rookie year and was already the face of baseball in Japan. He literally had his own traveling media beat. So, he can offer insight on the spotlight as well as anyone.

“I know that there are going to be a lot of people watching,” Rodríguez said. “But at the end of the day, I feel I'm just going to keep being me. I'm going to keep being me. I'm going to keep trying to improve every day. I'm going to keep doing the right thing. And if they're going to be seeing me and they think I'm the face of the franchise, I'm going to make sure that I [am] a good example and just kind of keep raising the bar.”

There’s credibility in his commentary.

“He hasn't changed at all,” Ichiro said. “The preparation, the things that he does, everything about Julio is the same. So I think that's the great thing that he has.”

How Rodríguez handles himself as he ascends to superstardom has been of immense intrigue, perhaps because he’s reached these heights so rapidly. He’s going to be here for potentially the next 17 seasons after signing a megadeal extension last summer, which would represent a longer Mariners tenure than his mentor.

And whatever comes Rodríguez’s way, he’ll continue to lean on Ichiro.

“He's been through so many different things and I know he's such a wise man,” Rodríguez said. “And it's true. ... He's helped me out a lot."