Hansel Robles worked on his pitching technique with Hall-of-Famer Pedro Martinez in the Dominican Republic on Monday.
Robles, 27, took a big step back in 2017 after putting together two respectable seasons in 2015 and 2016. He finished the year with a 4.92 ERA, 5.13 FIP, 1.341 WHIP, 1.6 HR/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 9.5 SO/9 in 46 appearances. All those numbers (except his WHIP) were career worsts.
The Mets’ bullpen as a whole performed poorly in 2017 as they combined for a 4.82 ERA which ranked them 29th in the majors.
Heading into the offseason, the bullpen was one of the biggest needs for the Mets. They have since signed Anthony Swarzak to aid a bullpen currently anchored by Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos, and Jerry Blevins.
Robles won’t be coming into the season as a lock like he did in 2017. However, the Mets are still not at a point where Robles is dispensable. Even if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, he’s likely to get at least some time to prove himself during 2018.
The fact that he’s working out with one of the all-time greats definitely makes him look better and should help him.
Last offseason, Martinez mentored Luis Severino of the New York Yankees. The extent of that impact is unknown, but what is known is that Severino had a breakout year that ended with a third-place finish in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
The Mets could certainly use a bounceback season from Robles especially after Alderson hinted that the team may not add another reliever this offseason after signing Swarzak.
