Among the many early surprises for the first place Seattle Mariners has been the contribution of centerfielder Leonys Martin. Acquired in the offseason via free agency, the former Texas Ranger was expected to secure the spacious Safeco Field outfield with plus defense. And he has indeed done just that, and more.

The Expected

According to UZR/150 (ultimate zone rating over 150 games), a statistic designed to measure fielding range above average, but to also project it over a 150 game span – good for quantifying small samples – Martin is on pace to save the Mariners 14.4 runs on defense. In the current run scoring environment, a win in terms of runs saved is trending a little closer to 9 runs saved than the historical 10 runs saved. So, in other words, Martin should earn about 1 ½ wins for the Mariners on defense over the course of the season. And that was pretty much expected as Martin’s UZR/150 for the prior three years in Texas were 11.2, 10.7, and 15.4 respectively.

Also not unexpected has been Martin’s speed on the base paths. In 2013 and 2014 with the Rangers, Martin stole 38 and 31 bases respectively. So far this season with the Mariners, he has swiped 8 bags in 11 attempts for a .727 success rate. That’s pretty good considering manager Scott Servais is probably less inclined to risk outs on the base paths than then Texas manager Ron Washington was.

The Unexpected

But what wasn’t fully expected, that has come as the most of pleasant surprises, is Martin’s evolution at the plate, most notably the power surge. In the only two seasons in the majors in which Martin has had 500+ PA, he hit 8 and 7 HR. In an abbreviated 2015 where he had 310 PA, he hit 5 HR. So far this season through 44 games and 167 PA, Martin has hit a career high 9 HR. Although the splits are fairly extreme – 2 HR at home and 7 HR on the road – 2 HR v. lefties and 7 HR v. righties – the production itself it totally unexpected.

In addition to the newly found pop, Martin is showing good discipline at the plate. True to GM Jerry Dipoto’s mantra to “control the zone,” Martin is taking a walk 10.2% of his PA for a solid .339 OBP. Ironically, Dipoto’s philosophy has so permeated the club’s DNA that a 10.2% BB% that would have been both outstanding and an outlier on previous Mariners’ teams, earns Martin the distinction on this 2016 M’s roster as only the fifth best, behind Seth Smith (14.9%), Chris Iannetta (12.9%), Nelson Cruz (11.7%), and Franklin Gutierrez (11.4%).  His OBP ranks fourth on the team behind Cruz (.393), Smith (.376), and Robinson Cano (.345).

Borderline All-Star

The combination of the expected plus defense and the unexpected offensive contribution has resulted in a 1.7 WAR so far. That is better than Kyle Seager (1.3) and Cruz (1.5), while trailing only Cano (2.2). ZIPS (R), which projects the remainder of the season based on pre-season projections weighted along with the season’s results so far, is somewhat bullish on Martin’s walk rate and OBP going forward, but does project another 9 HR, 17 more SB, and another 2.0 WAR.

Way to Go Dipoto

Not in his wildest dreams could Jerry Dipoto have thought he was signing a 25 SB, 18 HR, 3.5+ WAR centerfielder when he gave Leonys Martin a one year $4.2M contract. But Martin sure is proving to be an integral part of the 2016 Seattle Mariners’ success. At 28, clad in navy blue and northwest green, Leonys Martin is posed for the breakout year of his career and that’s good news for playoff starved Mariners’ fans.

(Note: Martin left Wednesday’s game with a leg injury. The Mariners have him listed as day to day).