Seattle Mariners Ace Talks About Upcoming Series, All-Star Game and More
SEATTLE — It's been an eventful last month for Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert.
He was named to his first-ever All-Star Game and has struck out six or more batters in four of his last five starts.
Gilbert didn't get to pitch in the Midsummer Classic due to starting in the final game before the break, but he did get an extra few days of rest and won't start until Tuesday. Ironically, he'll pitch against the Angels that day, which is the same team that he struck out nine against in his last start.
"It's nice — you get to take it easy a little bit," Gilbert said Sunday. "Just kind of recharge mentally and physically and hopefully hit the ground running in the second half (of the season). Just come out of it strong enough and healthy enough to hopefully make a full run of it in the playoffs."
It's rare for an ace like Gilbert to get such a long layoff. It's even rarer for there to be a giant festivity like the All-Star Game smack-dab in the middle of it.
Logan Gilbert is an All-Star
— Marine Layer Podcast (@MarineLayerPod) July 7, 2024
Here’s how he found out the news pic.twitter.com/hkBi7E48ax
Despite not pitching, Gilbert got to experience something not many players have a chance to. And he had productive conversations with some elite hurlers of the past, present and future.
"It was cool," Gilbert said. "First time, obviously, and just taking it all in — the whole thing. I didn't get to pitch but I knew — still going there, being a part of it, being around all the other guys, it was really cool."
Gilbert's teammates and fellow Seattle starters Luis Castillo and George Kirby were All-Stars in 2023. Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller are the only two starters in the Mariners' current rotation not to receive an All-Star selection. But they might not be too far behind.
"It's fun. It kind of goes around," Gilbert said. "Those guys last year and (me and Andres Munoz this year), it's cool that so many different guys have gotten to experience it. Bryce has joked that he kind of just steals my pitches — things that I try. So I can definitely see him being next. Him and Woo, too. Both super talented and they'll play for long enough that they'll definitely make it."
Gilbert is in the middle of a career year and is being recognized across the league for it. He has a 2.79 ERA this season with 124 strikeouts in 20 starts. He's likely to receive Cy Young votes at the end of the year.
Part of that is the pitching profile that he has. Every time Gilbert starts, the TV broadcast mentions how Gilbert has added to his arsenal year after year. According to Baseball Savant, Gilbert has thrown six pitches this year: a four-seamer, a slider, a cutter, a splitter, a curveball and a sinker.
His splitter specifically is one of the most effective pitchers in the league (13th-highest scoring according to Pitcher DIGS).
Logan Gilbert, Sick 83mph Splitter. ✌️
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 16, 2024
9th K...and Walter is fired up. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BKfEQlLgDR
"(I feel) good about where my stuff is right now and what I've tweaked in the past," GIlbert said. "I've gotten to a point where I feel pretty confident with it. And sometimes you can eventually do more damage by changing things that you already had working. I have my main stuff where I kind of keep it where it is and that's just consistency from that point. But it's kind of fun to play around with other stuff too that could maybe help you out in other situations."
With as big as an arsenal as Gilbert has, there's still a couple pitches that don't quite work or that he's still tweaking with.
"I've been loosely trying a sinker at different times in different years," Gilbert said. "But I've never really figured it out like these other guys have. So I kind of have my own stuff that works and that's just something I want to work but it's maybe not as natural for me so I just kind of play around with it."
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