More than half the league passed on Hansel Robles after the Mets designated the right-hander for assignment and ran him through waivers back in 2018. Robles was sitting on an ERA north of 5.00 at the time, and he’d posted a 4.92 ERA in a full season a year prior in 2017. Few doubted Robles’ raw ability. He’d had a pair of solid years in 2015-16 and despite his 2017-18 struggles in Queens, he’d averaged close to 96 mph on his heater and posted 9.9 K/9 in his Mets career. However, Robles also averaged four walks and 1.4 homers per nine innings pitched with the Mets, and there were questions about his ability to ever take his game to the next level.
Right now, those questions look like a distant memory.
Since being claimed by the Angels, Robles has enjoyed the best run of his career. Over the life of 109 innings, he’s worked to a 2.64 ERA and 2.99 FIP with averages of 9.2 strikeouts, 2.6 walks and just 0.7 home runs allowed per nine innings pitched. In 2019, Robles led the Angels with 23 saves.
This past season, Robles not only saw his average fastball velocity spike to 97 mph — he also changed the manner in which he used it to attack hitters. Robles’ approach in his last full season with the Mets (2017) was to bust right-handed hitters in off the plate and to work them low and away. In 2019, he stopped focusing on working righties inside and instead ramped up his usage of four-seamers off the plate away and up in the zone/above the zone. He’s far from the only pitcher to begin to shift his focus to high four-seamers, but most pitchers can’t match Robles’ combination of fastball spin rate (85th percentile) and fastball velocity (96th percentile).
The most notable difference in the 2019 version of Robles, however, was his sudden reliance on a changeup he’d never tossed at even a four percent clip before. Robles had thrown a total of 115 changeups in his career prior to 2019. He threw 262 changeups last year alone. The pitch proved to be the most effective offering in his newly expanded arsenal and greatly improved his ability to handle left-handed hitters. Opponents posted a ridiculous-looking .169/.179/.215 batting line in plate appearances that ended with the pitch, which carried a hefty 19.5 percent swinging-strike rate.
Fueled by a his newfound comfort with the changeup, Robles held hitters to a .221/.263/.332 batting line on the whole last season. That translates to a .254 weighted on-base average (wOBA) that tied him for the 38th-best mark among the 631 pitchers who faced at least 50 hitters in 2019. That excellence wasn’t just a case of BABIP smoke and mirrors, either; Robles’ .280 average on balls in play last season fell right in line with his career .278 mark. Based on those K/BB numbers and the quality of contact he allowed (or rather, the lack thereof), Statcast pegged him for an expected wOBA of .269 that closely resembles his actual mark. He ranked in the 76th percentile or better in terms of expected batting average, slugging percentage and wOBA as well as hard-hit rate allowed.
This isn’t the first time that Robles has had success in the Majors. In 2015-16, he tossed 131 2/3 innings with a 3.55 ERA, seemingly beginning to solidify himself as a reliable bullpen cog. But Robles has never looked this good before, either. The onus will again fall on him now to maintain the promise he’s shown — something he wasn’t able to do after that encouraging two-year run. Perhaps the league will adjust to his new-look changeup after a full year’s worth of data. Injuries are always a risk, too, and relief pitching in general is a highly volatile part of the game.
Right now, however, the Angels look to have secured themselves a flat-out steal when they scooped Robles up 22 months ago. He’s controlled through the 2021 season, giving him time to either contribute to a revamped Angels roster featuring Anthony Rendon, a healthy Shohei Ohtani and rotation newcomers Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran … or time to further build his stock as a trade chip, extension candidate or 2021-22 free agent.
Regardless of how the remainder of Robles’ Angels tenure plays out, you can bet that each of the Orioles, Royals, White Sox, Marlins, Reds, Rangers, Padres, Blue Jays, Twins, Rays, Tigers, Pirates, Giants, Rockies, Athletics, Cardinals and Dodgers would each like a mulligan on passing Robles over when he hit waivers in 2018.
the coolest part is his name is Hansel. Hansel!
He’s so hot right now.
Hansel.
I can derelict my own balls
Where’s Gretel?
She just left my house. You should be aware she’s a transgendered Inuit.
LMAO
Wtf
do you realize she was 208 years old?
so at my age I should be fussy????????????
lol!
Eppler is always looking for a diamond in the rough. Sometimes, he finds one.
This can be said for every Gm in the history of baseball.
Even a blind squirrel can find a nut or two.
Mets fans used to shat on this guy constantly for pointing upwards on all fly balls, especially when it was a homerun 30 feet into the stands. Excellent choice of photo used by MLBTR.
I’m starting to hate seeing Robles pitch. He sucked for the Mets, and now he terrorizes the Rangers. It’s a lose – lose. (I’m a Mets fan and a Rangers fan)
I feel your pain. I’m a Red Sox and Mets fan. When the Red Sox traded for Buckner I was really happy because he used to kill the Mets pitching all the time. How did that work out? Oh dear.
Guy has good stuff.
Don’t know the issue with the Mets.
Seemed like he didn’t trust it in 2018.
2019 was a different story.
The issue is if he can stay healthy and consistent
Has to prove he deserves a Payday
Anyone seen this dudes walk up song/video? They call him Caballo Blanco(white horse) and it’s the undertakers song. So so good
Undertaker has had many themes, which one in specific is it?
Steven Regal’s MANS MAN theme
The one he’s had since 2004
Vince, sir, any more releases today? Please say no.
Nope, hopefully no more. I do plan on signing some back once all this blows over. However Hawkins and Ryder will not return.
The Angels deserve a good break for a change when it comes to pitchers.
eppler has assembled a very good bullpen without spending much in prospects or money. the pen was excellent last season until it fell off exhausted by all the injuries to the rotation.
Well… I guess now that the Halos don’t feel so bad about DFA’ing Kirby Yates
As did the Yankees and Rays.
the last outing as an angel he allowed 2 home runs in an inning. with so many excellent pitchers in the pen, he was expendable. good for him to have found success in the south.
Another team’s trash is another team’s treasure.
The was his only outing
Typical MESS (Mets) . Looks like E Diaz took Robles place on the roster as a sucky relief pitcher.
Dude was good in 20-5-2016 and had options left bad move by Sandy
This has become the dominant model in finding pitchers on the cheap the past few years. Look for a young-ish guy who is in love with his fastball, but has a secondary that is pretty good and doesn’t throw enough. Bring him in, make him throw the secondary more, and presto, you have a brand new pitcher.
Seriously, kids are taught as
Such a young age to throw your fastball, throw your fastball. My son is 14, throws 82mph. His change up by far his best pitch, obviously cause kids are sitting on the fastball but can his pitching coach read some of message boards.
“Dominate reliever” have him pitch in a big game then tell me how dominate he is
You’re so smart.
Thank you! :)
You guys need to get out more
We are literally self quarantined
The most amazing part of this story is the he pitched for both the Mets and Angels and somehow isn’t constantly injured.
Trout let him borrow his special vitamins
Zzzzz
“Fire Jon Daniels”
-FAKE NEWS
Haters gonna hate!
trade him at his height now.
but his intro is best in baseball !!!
As an Angels fan it’s fun to watch Robles when he’s rollin’. His “hesitation” wind up and “quick pitch” delivery can be things of beauty. However, I would guess that opposing players, and their fans, are not impressed. Hitters may feel Robles’ quick pitch is unsafe as they may not be ready when his 96 MPH heater comes whizzing across the plate unexpectedly. Glad he’s an Angel.
Another example of the Mets’ recent pitching coaching failure to develop its talent. Outside of deGrom, who I believe pretty much handles manages himself, all the other pitchers with all that talent like Syndergaard, Matz, Gsellman, Diaz, Familia along with a plethora of minor leaguers, have trended in the wrong direction. How many years has every preseason report said something to the effect, “…the Mets may have one of the best overall pitching staffs in baseball.”?
Spent many years watching this guy pitch in Flushing, shows flashes of brilliance but the National league caught up to him pretty quickly. 97 MPH fastball with NO movement, FLAT slider, and a new change up. He’s a decent piece to have in an MLB pen but zero chance he spends the entire year closing for the Angels, he’s not closer material. He has guts though and goes right after hitters.