RF Victor Robles
When Robles joined the Mariners after getting designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals last June, the team gave him a simple directive.
“They told me to just be myself,” said Robles in Peoria earlier this month, per Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports. “It was something that really impacted me as a person because they came in and told me we know what kind of player you are. We know who you are, you are a guy that likes to go out there and have fun and just be you. That impacted me a lot when I got here.”
It clearly worked, as Robles shocked everyone by going off for a .328/.393/.467 slash line and 30 stolen bases in 77 games with the Mariners. With a contract extension in hand, he's set to begin 2025 as the club's leadoff man and everyday right fielder.
Victor Robles, first pitch and upper deck. Wow.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) August 3, 2024
Exit velo: 109.8 mph
Launch angle: 32°
Distance: 426 ft.
Hang time: 5.8 seconds pic.twitter.com/VgKvSrac1m
Yet there is a lingering sense that what the 27-year-old did in 2024 was too good to be true. He was twice as valuable in 77 games for Seattle (3.1 rWAR) as he was in his previous four seasons combined (1.5 rWAR). He's also not exactly a Statcast darling, and the Mariners recently got an unwelcome reminder that his tendency to get hit by pitches comes with injury risk.
No matter how it happens, the Mariners will be in trouble if Robles isn't up to building on his 2024 breakout. Luke Raley would be their next-best option in right field and at leadoff, but the caveat with him is that he's a left-on-right platoon hitter.
