Who is DJ Pleno?

Seattle Mariners baseball star Julio Rodríguez has taken on a new journey as a DJ, continuing his musical passion outside of the diamond.

Seattle Mariners superstar Julio Rodríguez is already one of baseball’s biggest young names, but now he’s trying something completely different away from the field. The 25-year-old MLB All-Star has stepped behind the decks under a new name: DJ Pleno.

Rodríguez, better known to baseball fans as J-Rod, picked up DJing during the offseason after spending time around friends who were playing music. What started as a random hobby quickly turned into something he wanted to seriously learn, giving him a new creative outlet outside baseball.

As DJ Pleno, Rodríguez has been leaning heavily into house music, which he says matches the energy and feeling he looks for when listening to music. The upbeat sound gives him a chance to have fun, move around and switch off from the pressure that comes with playing professional baseball every day.

The name DJ Pleno also has a personal meaning behind it. “Pleno” roughly translates to “whole” in Spanish, representing the idea of feeling complete and giving Rodríguez a separate identity for this new side of his life.

DJ Pleno recently took things beyond practicing at home by making his live debut at T-Mobile Park. Rodríguez jumped behind the decks during the Mariners’ Alumni Home Run Derby, performing for fans at the same stadium where he normally spends his nights roaming center field.

For now, DJing is still a hobby rather than a full career switch, but Rodríguez seems excited to keep improving. He has even compared learning to DJ with developing as a hitter, as both require creativity, finding your own style and constantly working on your approach.

Featured Image Courtesy of Seattle Mariners

About The Author

Neil Bayless

Hey everyone, I’m Neil! I first joined the dance community back in 2019 when my friend dragged me to Moonrise, my first-ever music festival, and I became hooked ever since. I like to dabble in most genres with my favorites being tech house and melodic techno. When it comes to studio output, Camelphat is part of my daily listening rotation and for a live performance, I’ll never miss a Solomun set. You can likely catch me on the dance floor somewhere in Brooklyn!

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