YEAR IN REVIEW: Victor Robles' Resurgence a Feel-Good Story For Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners offense was often on the wrong side of a lot of categories in 2024.
The Mariners lineup was on pace to lead the league in strikeouts a little more than halfway through the season. They avoided being in the wrong chapter of the history books, but they still ended up leading the league in that statistic with 1,625.
Seattle's continued struggles throughout the season led to the team tinkering with the lineup for most of the year. Injuries didn't help. Second baseman Jorge Polanco, shortstop JP Crawford and center fielder Julio Rodriguez all had extended stints on the injured list.
But one player stepped forward and helped alleviate some of the offense's struggles and the impact of the injuries: outfielder Victor Robles.
Robles, who won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals and at one point was a top five prospect in all of baseball, was at a crossroads in his career after getting released by the same team he won a championship with on June 1.
The Mariners signed Robles three days later on June 4. At first, there wasn't much hoopla over Robles joining the team. The assumption was that he would be a pinch-hitter/runner with occasional starts against left-handed pitching and that's how he was used his first several weeks in the Pacific Northwest.
But the more opportunities Robles received, the more he impressed. And when Crawford and Rodriguez went down, Robles was tasked with taking over the former's spot as the leadoff hitter in the lineup and the latter's spot in center field on defense. And he delivered.
Robles started consistently around July 9 against the San Diego Padres. From that point forward, he had a .325 batting average with three home runs, 24 RBIs and 28 steals.
He finished the year with a .328 batting average, four homers, 26 RBIs and 30 steals in 77 games played with Seattle.
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
Robles was rewarded for his play with a two-year, $9.75 million deal with a $9 million club option for 2027. After Rodriguez returned from injury, Robles maintained a starting role as the team's right fielder. Crawford also returned off the IL and after several games in his familiar role as the leadoff hitter, he was bumped down in the order and the No. 1 spot was given indefinitely to Robles.
"I think the most important thing for me was coming in (to Seattle) with the mentality of just trying to have fun," Robles said via a translator on July 24. "Trying to bring that positive energy. ... Just for me, it's all mentality. ... When I came up (in 2019) I was surrounded by a lot of vets. We all played like one. You could say it was one team but it was like one player out there. And it was all about that mentality, just going out there and having fun."
Robles, along with Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena, received a vote of confidence from team President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto as the team's outfield core for the near future.
Robles went from the highest point a player can be as a World Series champion to being cut by the only home he ever knew in the major leagues. But with a new contract, a new team and a new role, Robles has revitalized a career didn't have a positive outlook as recently as six months ago.
And if Robles can repeat his 2024 performance in 2025, the Mariners will be all the better for it.
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