Baseball’s press box is usually located behind home plate, but at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, the press box is set way back in right field. It’s a different perspective that often goes unappreciated, but on Saturday it offered a glimpse into an otherwise elusive at-bat. With two strikes against White Sox starting pitcher Erick Fedde and runners on first and third, Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles did something you don’t often see from a hitter.
Mariners analysis: Offensive offense thrives after three straight wins
As Fedde turned to pick off the runner on second base, Robles quickly stepped up to the front of the plate and, although Fedde threw a sweeper ball away from home plate, Robles caught it head on and hit it to left field for a one-run single.
“Generally speaking, I think it’s pretty uncommon,” Mariners hitting coach Jarrett DeHart said with a smile. “He’s done it with guys that throw slow changeups. If he’s impatient and wants to improve his chances, he’ll do it. And he’s not afraid to get beaten by a fastball. He’s got fast hands, so he thinks, ‘I can’t get beaten by a fastball,’ and he leans in quickly. But yeah, it’s pretty uncommon. It’s pretty hard. Most guys don’t have the guts to do it.”
Robles, meanwhile, said he always keeps that in mind when facing slower off-speed pitchers, and while he can’t pinpoint exactly when he started to make in-the-box advances, he acknowledged seeing a former Washington Nationals teammate do it inspired him to give it a try.
“Soto,” he said.
And what is the key to making it successful?
“It’s about confidence,” he said. “It’s about being confident in your hands and being able to step forward and be quick enough to get to the fastball when needed.”
It’s just one tool in the apparently industrial-sized toolbox that Robles brought to Seattle after being drafted by the Nationals, and he’s been a welcome find for the team.
“Victor Robles, wow,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said after the game. “Talk about that competitive spirit at the plate and staying in tune throughout that at-bat. He’s really good. What he’s done for our team, not just on the field, but the way he plays and the energy he plays with. He’s having a lot of fun right now and you can see that and it’s contagious to the other guys.”
Cal Raleigh sees Robles playing a big role in helping the Mariners pull themselves out of the offensive slump that has plagued them for most of this season.
“I think the biggest thing so far is our top of the lineup, Victor Robles, is getting on base and doing well. Even if he’s not getting a hit, it’s encouraging to see him step up to the plate,” Lawrie said Saturday night. “He’s stealing bases, he’s putting pressure on the defense. He gives us the spark and the energy that we need.”
While Servais and DeHart credit Robles for coming to the Mariners with eyes and ears wide open and a willingness to work hard and learn, Robles blames the coaching staff and the time they spent helping him.
“J.D. (DeHart) approached Robles,” said Mariners third-base coach Manny Acta, who served as Robles’ translator during the group interview, “and he told Robles he was here to help. He gave him some advice that had an immediate effect.”
DeHart has had Robles change his pitching form, thinking he’s using his hips too much in his swing and telling him to put more power into his legs. Robles has implemented some of what he calls “tricks” that he feels have helped. Since he started batting almost every day on July 7, his performance has been “incredibly good” in a small sample size: a batting average over .400, an OPS of 1.098 and a BABIP of .484.
Meanwhile, his batted ball numbers this year are interesting. Through Saturday, Robles had logged 69 batted ball events and was well above his career averages in exit velocity (89.2 mph this time, 84.3 mph career), barrel rate (13-3.9) and hard-hit rate (36.2-25.2). He also had the most barrels since 2019, tying his 2022 total from 277 events.
Is this a sign of a long-awaited breakout for Robles, once the top prospect in baseball? It’s worth watching, but there’s also no denying the impact he’s had on the Mariners, and the Mariners have had on Robles.
“He’s enjoying the game a lot more,” Acta said, acting as Robles’ translator. “He’s really enjoying it, he’s being inspired by his teammates and a great coaching staff. I think that’s the difference. He’s not overthinking it, he’s enjoying the game.”
There was no bitterness or disappointment in Robles’ reaction when he joined the Mariners, who signed him after he was DFA’d. On opening day, Robles stormed out of the dugout yelling, “Hello, media,” and sat down with the group for his first interview. A few weeks later, his personality was on full display during a “getting to know” interview on a radio pregame show.
“I’m just a kid, a kid with big dreams from a small town in the Dominican Republic,” he said through translator Freddy Llanos. “I’m just living the dream. I’m a guy who always has a smile on his face.”
Robles stressed that his passion has always been baseball, and although he doesn’t see a lot of playing time yet, he is finding other ways to help the team.
“I’m just a guy that goes out there and puts in the effort,” he said. “When I go out there, I feel like I’m invincible. I’m just a guy that goes out there and does everything I can to help my team win.”
When I told him that he had noticed, he smiled and said in English, “Thank you, thank you. Thank you for noticing.”
At the time, it was hard not to think he was a player who should have been given more attention – as a young player, he had so much potential – and he wasn’t looked upon that way, but he didn’t show any signs of dissatisfaction.
“Every day is a new opportunity,” he said at the time. “My family is healthy, I have a job, so I don’t need to be depressed. God has given me this opportunity, so it’s wrong to be depressed and wallowing around. That’s what I think.”
When his opportunity finally came, Robles overturned the Mariners’ impression.
“When Robles signed, I was asked what kind of player he was going to be and I thought he’d be more of a platoon partner,” Servais responded. “He’d be playing left-handed pitchers, because I think that’s what he’s basically been doing for the last couple of years of his career since he got here. He was very open to some of the offers and he picked up on them right away. He hit it off.”
DeHart sees Robles at his best as a complete hitter, perhaps even better than that.
“He makes really good swing decisions,” DeHart said. “He has good bat-to-ball reaction. He’s got really good exit velocity, and I think that’s what impressed us the most when he got here. It doesn’t look like it on paper, but if you look at his top exit velocity, he’s really fast. He just hasn’t gotten there very often. He’s flashed some good exit velocity at times. He’s got power, but I think what he looks like at his best is a guy who makes really good swing decisions. He controls the zone really well. He gets the ball in the plate and hits it hard. He’s going to hit a lot of liners and he’s going to hit some home runs here and there. I think he’s a really good hitter all over.”
Robles has been invaluable to the team, batting leadoff for JP Crawford and playing center field in place of Julio Rodriguez, who is on the disabled list. He wasn’t acquired at the trade deadline, but he could be just as valuable as any deal made over the next two days.
More Seattle Mariners news
• The controversy: What Randy Arozarena brings to the Seattle Mariners
• The Seattle Mariners acquired slugging outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Rays.
• The Seattle Mariners continue their trade, acquiring Blue Jays relief pitcher Yimi Garcia.
• The Seattle Mariners sent relief pitcher Ryne Stanek to the Mets for a minor league outfielder.
• The Seattle Mariners’ trade deadline solution could come from the Braves in ’21.
