Trayvon Robinson’s vision problems gives Mariners offense new hope

Remember the moment from that iconic baseball movie Major League where Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn’s control issues were solved when he was given a pair of glasses?  It was funny because it was plausibly ridiculous.

However fiction met reality when Trayvon Robinson rolled into camp sporting a new pair of specs.

The 24 year old Robinson joined the Seattle Mariners through a three team trade involving Eric Bedard last season and was almost immediately brought up to the major league club.

Trayvon appeared in 44 games for the Mariners hitting a measly .210 with logging in 61 strike outs compared to only getting 30 hits. 

It did seem as though the switch hitter had a bit of a hitch in his swing as if he wasn’t seeing the ball real well.

Yet no one thought about the fact that he may not be literally seeing the ball at all.

"Wild Thing" Robinson You Make My Heart Sing! (Image from Mariners.com)

When asked about his new specs, Robinson shared that his contacts were causing him to half split seconds of blindness last season.

He told Greg Johns of Mariners.MLB.com “My vision isn’t that bad, but you’re always looking for an advantage, and I can see a difference.

I wore contacts last year on and off, but I was always wondering when I changed the degree of my head, I’d be blind for like a half-second.

I’ve got astigmatisms.

That’s when I checked in with an eye doctor in Seattle.”

That could be a problem when there is a ball being hurled at you in speeds excess of 90 MPH.  Pro players have often talked about the fact if you blink in baseball, you miss it.

And as far as I know the list of blind baseball players is a very short one.

I think with this revelation and of course the lessons learned from “Wild Thing” that the M’s should make eye exams a regular thing.  You know, just to make sure players can actually see.

We could be on to something that could revolutionize the offense for years to come as well as be quite a fashion statement.

Instead of a sleeve patch this season, all the M’s players should sport some classic specs.

Who wouldn’t support a horned-rimmed glasses night at Safeco?

The Major League WILD THING video is below. (Warning some CUSS words included! You don’t like swearing, don’t click the video.)

© Danny Ferguson for North West Sports Beat, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |

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