Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles was a kid the first time he went to the playoffs.
No, really. He was not of legal drinking age when in 2017 he somehow ended up on the Washington Nationals’ postseason roster as a 20-year-old after appearing in just 13 regular-season games.
That first playoff trip lasted all of two games. But two years later, as a 22-year-old there was a lot more playoff baseball, and plenty more celebrating, for Robles to experience. All the way to a World Series title with the Nationals.
“I think the biggest key that we really had was just having fun,” Robles said via interpreter Freddy Llanos. “I mean, obviously we go out on the field and try to give 100 percent but have fun. I mean, this is still a game. Kind of that camaraderie between every single person that we have, and I see that a lot here. I mean, you see it when you know maybe somebody’s not having the best game, someone else is there to pick them up. So I see a lot of similarities between that team and ours.”
Of the current Mariners roster, at least the majority of the roster expected for the AL Division Series starting Saturday, only nine players saw action during the Mariners’ playoff run three years ago – four position players and five pitchers.
Though it totaled all of five games across two series, it is experience they will take into this postseason.
“Everything is going to be heightened. You’re going to get everybody’s best stuff, and I think that’s important just to remember,” catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Overall, going back to what makes us good, whether it’s our approach or whether it’s going out and getting Strike 1. Things like that.”
The way the Mariners roster has evolved since the 2022 season has added a hefty chunk of playoff experience from elsewhere to supplement.
Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor, Mitch Garver, Luke Jackson, Jorge Polanco and Robles have played in double-digit playoff games for other teams. Besides those six, two players who could be on the M’s roster for the ALDS – Luke Raley and Caleb Ferguson – have appeared in postseason games elsewhere.
Arozarena has the most experience. Raley has the least, with one career playoff game. But it all can matter.
“To me it’s really just understanding what it’s all going to be like,” M’s manager Dan Wilson said. “I think you can watch it on TV and see the added excitement. But until you’ve experienced it and feel it and know how to handle that as a player, I think that’s the difference. Guys that have been through it know what to expect now a little bit more on Saturday, and know what they’ve used before to sort of help them get to where they need to get mentally and physically to be able to go out and perform.”
Arozarena played 32 of his 33 career playoff games with Tampa Bay, including the 2020 run to the World Series when he was the ALCS MVP. He has a 1.104 OPS in those 33 career playoff games. Last season after being traded to the Mariners was the first time Arozarena didn’t make the playoffs in his career.
What has Arozarena found to be important in the playoffs? Having the right mindset going in.
“I think it’s the mentality. The mentality of wanting to win. The hunger to win,” he said via Llanos.
Garver has 18 career playoff games with Minnesota and Texas, including the 2023 season when the Rangers went from the wild-card round to winning the World Series.
Naylor has 19 career playoff games with Cleveland. Jackson has pitched 15 times in the playoffs, although his spot on the postseason roster seems tenuous. Robles played 12 of his 14 career playoff games in 2019 when Washington won a championship.
In total, the eight players who have played in the postseason and were not on the Mariners playoff roster in 2022 have a combined 111 games of playoff experience.
“You just got to kind of stay in the moment, stay poised, try your best to block out the noise, I guess. I mean, there’s a lot of things you can learn being in the playoffs,” Naylor said. “But honestly, it’s just playing regular-season baseball. It’s the same game, just got to win now four in a row, or win that series specifically. But it’s the same game, maybe it’s just a little bit louder.”
Naylor played in a career-high 10 postseason games last year with Cleveland as the Guardians reached the ALCS before losing to the Yankees in five games. Garver didn’t play in the first three postseason games for Texas in 2023, but that changed after hitting a grand slam in Game 2 of the ALDS against Baltimore. He ended up playing every game the rest of the way as the Rangers swept the Orioles, beat Houston in seven games and claimed the title, defeating Arizona in five games.
Garver’s first couple of playoff trips didn’t go how he wanted during his time with Minnesota.
“It took me a few times to realize what it meant to like go out there and just go for it,” he said.
Garver also emphasized how the playoffs aren’t the time for experimentation.
“You got to have no fear to go out there and just trust your (stuff), basically,” Garver said. “Because there is no more swing changes, there’s no more mechanical stuff. There’s no more worrying about earned-run average or anything like that. It’s get the job done, or the next guy has to.”
Woo’s availability for Mariners’ ALDS roster remains unclear
In an important step in his recovery from a pectoral muscle injury, Bryan Woo threw 15 pitches off the main T-Mobile Park mound on Thursday afternoon, two days before the Mariners are set to open a best-of-five American League Division Series at home.
Woo’s place on the Mariners’ ALDS roster remains uncertain.
“A positive day,” Woo said. “I’m still not where I want to be in terms of game speed of everything, but in terms of how everything’s progressed, I’m happy with it, considering a week ago I wasn’t even throwing yet. And then a week from now, hopefully, we’ll be in a better spot.”
If that’s a realistic timeline, Woo wouldn’t be available until Game 5 of the ALDS, at the earliest.
It’s possible the Mariners could decide to use his roster spot on an extra relief pitcher and hope Woo is available to return for the AL Championship Series, should the Mariners advance that far.
A 25-year-old first-time All-Star, Woo emerged as the Mariners’ No. 1 starter during a crucial time as the starting rotation navigated lengthy injury absences from Logan Gilbert and George Kirby.
Woo was asked if he’s optimistic he would be included on the ALDS roster.
“I’m not going to put any assumptions on it yet,” he said. “Like I said, I’m just trying to take it day by day.”
Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude contributed to this report