Seattle Mariners Ace Named Finalist for Sports Illustrated Award

The Seattle Mariners this season had arguably the best starting rotation in all of baseball.

The Mariners were the only staff in the league to have four pitchers start 30 or more games, lead the league in ERA and have two players (Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller) who had a WHIP below 1.00.

And the Seattle rotation ace received some recognition in the recently released finalists for the MLB Players Choice Awards.

Gilbert was named one of three American League finalists along with Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Emmanuel Klasse of the Cleveland Guardians for the Most Outstanding Pitcher Award.

Gilbert and Skubal are starters, while Klase is the closer. The list of finalists was released on Monday.

Gilbert was voted to his first All-Star Game in 2024. Technically, he wasn’t the Mariners’ No. 1 starter for most of the season. That rotation spot belonged to three-time All-Star Luis Castillo.

But by the end of the year, Gilbert was considered Seattle’s go-to guy. And deservedly so.

Gilbert led the league in WHIP (0.89) and joined the 200-inning/200-strikeout club for the first time in his four-year career. The Stetson College product finished the season with a 3.23 ERA in 33 starts with 220 strikeouts in 208.2 innings. He held opposing batters to a .196 average.

Gilbert has one of the most diverse pitching arsenals of any starter in MLB. His fastball topped 100 mph and his splitter was one of the most devastating shots in the league.

Gilbert threw his splitter 407 times according to Baseball Savant. He generated a 50.6% whiff rate with that pitch, and opponents hit him with an average of just .101 against that pitch.

As good as Gilbert was, there’s a good chance that Skubal will win all the awards, including the Most Outstanding Pitcher Award and the AL Cy Young Award. The lefty had a 2.39 ERA in 31 starts this season with 228 strikeouts in 192 innings.

But Gilbert’s addition to the finalists and his July All-Star selection proves the league is starting to recognize just how good he is.

And if Gilbert can continue to play like he did this season and Seattle makes the playoffs, then there’s a good chance Cy Young will be considered in his future.

FINAL MARKS FOR TRENT THORNTON: Trent Thornton proved valuable to the Seattle Mariners in 2024 and could return to the team in 2025 despite the possibility of not being drafted. CLICK HERE

FINAL MARKS FOR TROY TAYLOR: Troy Taylor was the Seattle Mariners’ top rookie in 2024 and looks to have secured himself a spot on a major league roster for the foreseeable future. CLICK HERE

LOGAN GILBERT’S FINAL GRADES: Logan Gilbert has become the de facto No. 1 starter in the Seattle Mariners’ major league rotation in 2024, and he could remain on that list for a long time. CLICK HERE

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