Víctor Robles

Víctor Enrique Robles Brito (born May 19, 1997) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals and was part of the Nationals' 2019 World Series victory. Robles signed with the Nationals as an international free agent in 2013 and made his MLB debut in 2017.

Career Washington Nationals Minor leagues Robles signed with the Washington Nationals as an international free agent in 2013, receiving a $225,000 signing bonus. He made his professional debut in 2014 with the Dominican Summer League Nationals in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League, batting .313 with three home runs, 25 runs batted in (RBI), and 26 stolen bases in 47 games. Robles started 2015 with the Gulf Coast Nationals in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, playing in 23 games and hitting .370 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 stolen bases He finished the season with Auburn, hitting .343 with two home runs, 16 RBI, and 12 stolen bases for the Doubledays. In 64 games for the Suns, he hit .305 with five home runs, and stealing 19 bases. where he spent the rest of the season, except for a brief rehabilitation stint with the Gulf Coast League Nationals after returning from the seven-day disabled list. Writer Jim Callis said that same month that he believed Robles could be considered the top overall prospect in baseball by the end of 2017. In July 2017, MLB Pipeline ranked Robles as the fifth-best prospect in baseball.

Robles began the 2017 season with Potomac. On July 24, after 77 games with Potomac, batting .289 with seven home runs, 33 RBI, and 16 stolen bases, the Nationals promoted Robles to the Harrisburg Senators of the Double-A Eastern League. Robles finished the minor-league season with Harrisburg, batting .324 with an .883 on-base plus slugging, 3 home runs, 14 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 37 games with the Senators. Having turned 20 in May, Robles was the youngest player in the 2017 MLB season. He debuted that night against the Philadelphia Phillies as a pinch hitter, flying out to right field. On September 10, Robles reached base safely for the first time in his major league career after being hit by a pitch. Later in the game, he got his first career major league hit, a double off the Nationals Park scoreboard, also getting his first RBI. However, he was called out while trying to stretch the double into a triple, sliding past third base. He finished the regular season with the Nationals batting .250 with a double, two triples, and four RBI in 13 games. and appeared in two games in the National League Division Series (NLDS), striking out in his only plate appearance but scoring one run.

After Washington lost the NLDS to the Chicago Cubs in five games, Robles played in the Arizona Fall League. In 13 games with the Mesa Solar Sox, he went 10-for-41 (.244), had a .389 on-base percentage, hit three home runs and one double, drove in seven runs, and stole seven bases. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the league's Fall Stars Game after going 1-for-3 with a walk, driving in a run, and scoring two runs.

2018–2019 Robles hit .188 in 21 spring-training games in 2018 before the Nationals optioned him to the Syracuse Chiefs of the Triple-A International League. Ranked as the sixth-best prospect in baseball by MLB.com, He was removed from the game. His injury did not require surgery, but it forced him onto the disabled list. He rejoined the Nationals on September 4. In his rookie season, he had the highest percentage of soft contact and lowest percentage of hard contact percentage among NL batters. Robles had an average exit velocity of 83.3 mph on balls in play, the second slowest in baseball. Defensively, he had 23 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), the best among major league center fielders. He led all center fielders with 12 assists but also tied for the NL lead with 6 outfield errors. He was a finalist for the NL Gold Glove Award in center field, losing to Lorenzo Cain.

Robles started the postseason hot, batting .313 in five games from the Wild Card Game through the National League Championship Series. He missed several playoff games with a hamstring injury. Robles started all seven World Series games, hitting just .160 in the bottom third of the batting order, as the Nationals defeated the Houston Astros to win their first championship. Balls he hit had an average exit velocity of 82.2 mph, the third slowest in the majors.

Robles offense further diminished in 2021, as he hit .203/.310/.295 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 369 plate appearances. His average exit velocity of 84.1 mph was the fourth slowest in baseball. On August 31, he was optioned to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.

Robles started 2022 with a new batting stance after working with hitting coach Darnell Coles. He batted .224/.273/.311 in 406 plate appearances and led the major leagues with 10 bunt hits. On defense, he led NL center fielders with 7 assists and 6 errors. Balls he hit had an average exit velocity of 84.6 mph, again the third slowest in the majors. After playing in 36 games in 2023, Robles was placed on the injured list with back spasms on June 21. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 26, not returning to action.

Robles played in 14 games for the Nationals in 2024, hitting .120/.281/.120 with two RBI and four stolen bases. On May 27, Robles was designated for assignment by Washington, and the team released him on June 1.

Seattle Mariners 2024 On June 4, 2024, Robles signed a major league contract with the Seattle Mariners. He became the team's leadoff hitter by the end of July and played all three outfield positions, often filling in for Julio Rodríguez in center field. On August 12, he signed a two-year, $9.75 million extension with the Mariners, with a $9 million club option for 2027. batting .328 with 4 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 77 games.

2025 Robles was the Mariners' Opening Day right fielder in 2025. On April 6, he made a diving catch into the netting in foul territory at Oracle Park. He dislocated his left shoulder on the play and the eventual winning run tagged up and advanced into scoring position on the play. Within days, Robles was placed on the 10-day injured list and ruled out for at least 12 weeks. He said he did not regret making the catch.

On a minor league rehab assignment with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in August, Robles was ejected after he threw his bat at Las Vegas Aviators pitcher Joey Estes. Estes' previous pitch was inside and almost hit Robles, who had been hit by five pitches in his previous 15 times at bat. MLB announced a 10-game suspension for Robles for throwing his bat. He appealed the suspension, which was reduced to 7 games. Robles was officially activated from the injured list on August 23 and began serving his suspension on August 29. The next night, Robles made a diving catch to start a game-ending double play in another win in Houston. He finished 2025 batting .245/.281/.330 with one home run and 6 stolen bases in 32 games. His speed in 2016 was compared to then-Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, one of the fastest runners in baseball. In 2017, Robles sprint speed of 30.9 feet per second was best in the majors, but by 2024, it had dropped to 27.8 feet per second, which was outside the top 25 percent of major league players. His throwing arm strength ranked in the top 7 percent of baseball in every season from 2020 through 2024. He has two pet monkeys, Kikito and Keka.