Mariners’ Arozarena a ‘guaranteed’ bounceback, says MLB Network voice

Mar 19, 2025, 8:41 AM

Editor, Seattle Sports

There is a lot of hope that the Seattle Mariners’ offense can take a step forward in 2025 from what it did last year, and a big reason for that is the number of bounceback candidates in Seattle’s lineup.

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Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco didn’t play to the backs of the their baseball cards in 2024 after coming to Seattle in offseason moves. And the Mariners’ big midseason trade addition, Randy Arozarena, had his worst season in the big leagues even though his numbers with Seattle were better than the three months prior with Tampa Bay.

Longtime MLB Network host Greg Amsinger doesn’t expect Arozarena to struggle in a Mariners uniform this year. In fact, he’s very confident the real Randy will make an impact as Seattle’s left fielder in 2025.

“I think Randy Arozarena is a guaranteed bounceback player,” Amsinger said. “I’m actually not worried about Randy Arozarena.”

Seattle Mariners need the real Randy Arozarena in 2025

Arozarena had a tough time in 100 games last season with the Rays, who went into 2024 with lessened expectations after some key departures. That may have been a factor in Arozarena hitting .211 with a .712 OPS before his July trade to the Mariners, as he’s known as a big game player for rising to the occasion in playoff games and on the international stage.

He hit .231 with a .733 OPS in 54 games with the M’s last year, providing 1.0 fWAR, but he didn’t quite look like himself.

Amsinger explained why that may have been.

“He was emotional when he was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays,” Amsinger said. “He believed that that organization saved his baseball life, because he came up with the Cardinals, that didn’t work out. They weren’t getting him to the big leagues way he wanted, and then the whole fiasco where he was on Instagram live while the manager was talking and that blew up in his face. He was embarrassed by it.

“When he got traded (from the Rays to the Mariners), he didn’t want to leave. He sat in the Trop with his family, and he was sad. So, I mean, I think Randy went through some human issues, and that’s the part of this that we have to remember sometimes. Let this guy get comfortable.”

By the way, Amsinger believes that last part has already happened.

“I saw him in (Mariners spring training) camp – he’s all smiles, he’s excited to play again.”

So what should fans expect from Arozarena in his first full season calling T-Mobile Park home?

“Is he going to hit 30 homers? Not in that ballpark,” Amsinger said. “I do think he hits around 25 homers and steals around 30 bases.”

Can Victor keep it going?

The Mariners’ offense was much better late in the season than early in 2024, and while Arozarena played a hand in that, another in-season acquisition was an obvious help: Victor Robles.

After being released by the Washington Nationals, Robles was picked up by the M’s in a move that quickly looked like a steal. In 77 games for the Mariners, Robles slashed .328/.393/.467 for an .860 OPS with 30 steals (on 31 attempts) and an impressive 3.1 fWAR. That earned Robles a contract extension and the job as Seattle’s right fielder going forward.

Robles, now 27, is a former top prospect who showed flashes of his promise in a strong 2019 season with Washington but didn’t make much of an impact for the Nats in the following years. That’s in the back of Amsinger’s mind, who is about as cautious with his expectations for Robles as he is emphatic with his expectations with Arozarena.

“I thought Robles was going to be Mike Cameron 2.0. I believe it was 2019, he was incredible for the Washington Nationals. It was kind of similar sort of season that he had (in 2024), but he played more games,” Amsinger said. “He hit almost 20 home runs that year, almost stole 30 bases that year, looked like the next great Gold Glover. I mean, that was my comp for him was Mike Cameron, and then it just went away. Like, just couldn’t hit. Hit around .200, .220 year after year after year. And hopefully he figured it out.”

Amsinger pointed out that it’s much less common for a hitter to figure something out in the middle of their career than it is for a pitcher. And he’s also concerned that the league will have a plan for Robles after his surprise 2024 campaign.

“That does happen occasionally, but usually you see pitchers where they go to Japan and they learn different mechanics and pick up a different pitch, and the smaller baseball actually helps them between the ears, gives them more confidence,” he said. “But it’s hard to find position players who bounce back and somehow play like an All-Star again. … I still don’t know just (if it was) an aberration what he did last year.

“It’s a hard thing when teams go, oh, you’re a force again? Now let’s get the book out on you. I mean, ask Julio Rodríguez. When the league makes an adjustment to you, it becomes painful to grind through that.”

Hear the full Wyman and Bob conversation with MLB Network host Greg Amsinger in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Catch Wyman and Bob from 2-7 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.