It was all set up on Wednesday for Rob Refsnyder to be the hero when he pinch-hit in the bottom of the fifth of a bases-loaded, tied-ballgame, to face lefty Sean Newcomb. However, he proceeded to hit into a force out to second base and end the inning. It didn’t ultimately cost the Mariners as they beat the White Sox 5-4, but this kind of outcome for Refsnyder is nothing new in Seattle.
The 2012 fifth-round draft pick is having a nightmare with the Mariners, and is easily on course for the worst season of his 11 years in the majors. His .106/.173/.197 slash line, .370 OPS and 8 OPS+ are all projected to be career lows. However, it’s what he’s doing — or more to the point not doing — versus left-handed pitching specifically, which is causing most of the consternation within the M’s fanbase.
Hailed by media experts as one of the smartest signings of the offseason, Refsnyder is failing miserably at the main thing he was brought in to do. He’s only 5-for-52 versus lefties, looking nothing like the player who normally thrives against them. And thrives is no hyperbole, considering he entered this season ranked fifth in batting average (.312), third in OBP (.407) and sixth in OPS (.924) among all right-handed hitters with 500-plus plate appearances against southpaws since 2022.
Rob Refsnyder is struggling no matter what situation or position he’s in
Helping to put an even more unfavorable spotlight on Refsnyder is he has a bad habit of showing up in clutch spots, with his average leverage index third among all Mariners players. In other words, he’s doing damage to the ballclub in moments that matter. So what’s the solution?
In one respect you must hand it to the Mariners for continuing to give Refsnyder at-bats, hoping he can rediscover the proficiency he’s had versus lefites throughout his career. Although you do have to wonder why the heck they’ve used him in the leadoff spot of all places, given his struggles? In 11 games at the top of the order he’s just 4-for-35 with 11 strikeouts.
Looking under the hood doesn’t offer much encouragement, with aspects such as the 35-year-old’s 87.4 exit velocity and 30.1 percent strikeout rate both projected to the second-worst of his career. As for any suggestions a turnaround is coming, the reality is his xBA of .156 and xSLG of .292 would still both be far below what’s expected or considered acceptable.
The clock is ticking on Rob Refsnyder’s time in Seattle
On some level maybe these struggles shouldn’t be a total surprise, when factoring in the challenges of hitting at T-Mobile Park. It was only a small sample size of 23 plate appearances in seven games, but prior to this season Refsnyder had batted .176 with a .568 OPS in Seattle. Although the Mariners would take even that right now, with him batting .075 with a .221 OPS in 42 plate appearances over 19 games at home.
On the subject of home, it’s fair to question how much more time Refsnyder will be given in Seattle? He doesn’t offer speed or defensive versatility, making it tough to justify rostering a guy who can’t even hit. We wonder if the point of no return will be 100 plate appearances as it was with Leody Taveras before he got canned, and with Refsnyder now at 75 plate appearances, the clock is ticking…
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