Logan Keith Gilbert (born May 5, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Amateur career

Gilbert attended Wekiva High School in Apopka, Florida. He pitched and played first base in high school. He was named his team MVP his senior season.[1] He reached 90 miles per hour on his fastball in 2014 and was the 500th best high school prospect in 2015, according to Perfect Game.[2] He was not drafted out of high school and enrolled at Stetson University to play baseball for the Stetson Hatters.[3]

As a freshman in 2016, Gilbert appeared in 21 games with five starts, going 2–1 with a 2.74 earned run average (ERA) and 43 strikeouts in 49 innings. After his freshman season, he pitched for the Bethesda Big Train in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, posting a 1.70 ERA with 28 strikeouts over 26+13 innings.[4] As a sophomore in 2017, he appeared in 15 games with 12 starts, and went 10–0 with a 2.02 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 89 innings and was named the ASUN Conference Pitcher of the Year.[5] After the 2017 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star.[6][7] As a junior in 2018, he pitched to an 11–2 record and a 2.72 ERA over 16 starts[8] and was again named the ASUN Conference Pitcher of the Year.[9]

Professional career

2018–2020: draft and minor leagues

Gilbert was considered one of the top 20 prospects for the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[10][11] He was selected 14th overall by the Seattle Mariners.[12] He signed for $3.88 million on June 16.[13][14] He was shut down for the remainder of 2018 after contracting mononucleosis.[15]

Gilbert made his professional debut as the 2019 Opening Day starter of the West Virginia Power.[16] After five starts with a 1–0 record and 1.59 ERA, he was promoted to the High-A Modesto Nuts.[17] In 12 starts with Modesto, he went 5–3 with a 1.73 ERA, striking out 73 batters over 62+13 innings.[18] He was promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers in July.[19] Over nine starts with Arkansas, he pitched to a 4–2 record with a 2.88 ERA.[20]

Gilbert did not play in an official game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[21] He did pitch in an intrasquad exhibition game in Seattle in July, before the start of the MLB season.[22] He was also on the Mariners' initial 60-man roster but stayed in the alternate training site in Tacoma.[23][24]

2021: MLB debut

Entering 2021, Gilbert was a consensus top 40 prospect. He started 2021 with the Tacoma Rainiers, earning a win in his only Triple-A game.[25] On May 13, Gilbert was promoted to the major leagues and made his debut as the Mariners starting pitcher against the Cleveland Indians.[26] He took the loss, allowing four runs in four innings.[27] On June 6, he earned his first career win, striking out seven Los Angeles Angels batters and allowing one run in five innings.[28] In his rookie season, Gilbert was 6–5 in 24 starts, with a 4.68 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 119+23 innings.[29]

2022: Postseason debut

Gilbert was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April 2022, in which he went 3–0 with 22 strikeouts in 20 innings.[30] On September 30, Gilbert allowed one run in eight innings against the Oakland Athletics.[31] His start helped the Mariners clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2001.

Gilbert started Game 1 of the American League Division Series, allowing three runs in 5+13 innings. He left with the Mariners leading, but the team lost in the bottom of the 9th inning.[32]

In his first full MLB season, Gilbert posted a 13–6 record with a 3.20 ERA in 32 starts covering 185+23 innings.[29] He gave up the third-highest percentage of line drives in the majors (28.9 percent), and balls hit against him had the second-highest average exit velocity (91 mph) among all pitchers.[33]

2023

Gilbert pitched his first career shutout on July 4, 2023, striking out 7 San Francisco Giants and allowing 5 hits.[34][35] That game and a subsequent win over the Houston Astros earned him the AL Pitcher of the Week award.[36] He struck out a career-high 12 batters in a 2–0 win over the San Diego Padres on August 8.[37]

Gilbert had a 13–7 record with a 3.73 ERA and 189 strikeouts in 190+23 innings. His 5.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked third in the American League, trailing his teammate George Kirby.[38]

2024: All-Star

Gilbert continued to improve in 2024 and was selected for the All-Star Game. However, because he was scheduled to start two days before the game and therefore unavailable to pitch, teammate Andrés Muñoz replaced him on the All-Star Game roster.[39] On September 8, Gilbert pitched his second career complete game, going only 8 innings in a 2–0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.[40][41] His 10 strikeouts in that game tied his season high, also reached on August 27.[42]

Gilbert proved durable and efficient in 2024, leading the majors with 208+23 innings pitched and 0.887 walks and hits per inning pitched. His 220 strikeouts ranked 6th, just 8 fewer than the MLB lead. He again ranked third the AL in strikeout to walk rate, trailing Kirby.[43] He had a 9–12 record with a 3.23 ERA.[29]

Pitching style

Gilbert's physique contributes to his pitching success. He is tall, 6 feet 6 inches, and has large hands.[29][44] This combination has led him to have one of the longest extensions, meaning he releases the ball the furthest from the mound and the closest to home plate, limiting batters reaction time.[45][46][47][48]

Gilbert also regularly adds new pitches to his repertoire. In 2022, he began throwing a new slider that he learned from Jacob DeGrom, which became his second most common pitch.[49][50] In 2023, he began throwing a new split changeup or splitter, which replaced his changeup and became his third most frequent pitch.[51][52][53][54][50] In 2024, he added a cutter.[55][56] He threw the cutter 10 percent of the time, reducing his four-seam fastball usage. This change made his slider his most frequent pitch for the first time in his career. Gilbert's fastball averaged at least 95 miles per hour in his first four seasons in the majors.[46] Gilbert tinkered with several of his pitches before spring training in 2025.[57]

Gilbert adopted an alter ego called "Walter" on days when he pitches. He said the name started as a joke in college and that "Walter" describes how his increased focus and competitiveness on the mound.[58][59]

Personal life

Gilbert married Aviles Gilbert on November 12, 2022.[60] They have a pet dog.[61] Gilbert is the son of Keith and Noel Gilbert and has a brother, Tyler.[1][62]

Mariners teammate Cal Raleigh wrote on a Reddit AMA in 2025 that Gilbert "can barely take care of himself" when asked why several Mariners players said Gilbert would not be a good babysitter.[63] Raleigh also said Gilbert was the most likely pitcher on the Mariners staff to shake off his called signs.[64]

Gilbert is a Christian.[65][66]

References

  1. ^ a b "Logan Gilbert - Baseball". Stetson University Athletics.
  2. ^ "Logan Gilbert Class of 2015 - Player Profile". Perfect Game. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  3. ^ Cahill, Teddy (March 24, 2018). "Stetson's Logan Gilbert Stays Hot". Baseball America. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League". Pointstreak Stats. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Collazo, Carlos (February 17, 2018). "Stetson Wins Opener As Ace RHP Logan Gilbert Shakes Off Rust". Baseball America. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  6. ^ Boyle, Chris (February 1, 2018). "College Baseball: Logan Gilbert poised to lead Stetson rotation, go early in MLB draft". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  7. ^ "#30 Logan Gilbert – Profile". pointstreak. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Johns, Greg (June 16, 2018). "Mariners' first-round Draft pick Gilbert signs". MLB.com.
  9. ^ "Mariners select pitcher Logan Gilbert out of Stetson University in first round of MLB Draft". Q13 FOX. June 4, 2018.
  10. ^ "MLB Draft profile on prospect Logan Gilbert". MLB.com. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  11. ^ Dean, Zach (May 30, 2018). "Stetson hurlers Gilbert, Wilson remain focused on regionals with MLB Draft looming". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  12. ^ Johns, Greg (June 5, 2018). "Mariners draft Stetson righty Gilbert at No. 14". MLB.com.
  13. ^ Ruiz, Stephen (June 16, 2018). "Stetson's Logan Gilbert signs as Mariners' first-round pick". Orlando Sentinel.
  14. ^ "Mariners announce the signing of their first-round pick Logan Gilbert". The Seattle Times. June 16, 2018.
  15. ^ "Mariners' Logan Gilbert: Shut down for season with illness". CBSSports.com. July 9, 2018.
  16. ^ "Mariners' Logan Gilbert: Starting for West Virginia". CBS Sports. April 4, 2019.
  17. ^ "Mariners' Logan Gilbert: Promoted to High-A". CBSSports.com. May 2019.
  18. ^ Divish, Ryan (September 4, 2019). "Mariners shut down talented pitching prospect Logan Gilbert for the season". The Seattle Times.
  19. ^ Dykstra, Sam (July 15, 2019). "Mariners promote Gilbert to Double-A". MiLB.com.
  20. ^ "Logan Gilbert Named Mariners Minor League Pitcher of the Year". Stetson University Athletics. September 11, 2019.
  21. ^ "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors. June 30, 2020.
  22. ^ "Top pitching prospect Logan Gilbert makes his T-Mobile Park 'debut' in Mariners intrasquad game". The Seattle Times. July 11, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  23. ^ Doyle, Joe E. (June 28, 2020). "Mariners Announce 60-man Roster". Lookout Landing. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  24. ^ Brock, Corey (August 11, 2020). "Has stuff, can play: Logan Gilbert changing things up at Mariners' Tacoma camp". The Athletic. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "Logan Gilbert Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  26. ^ "Mariners Officially Promote Jarred Kelenic, Logan Gilbert". MLB Trade Rumors. May 13, 2021.
  27. ^ "Cleveland Indians vs Seattle Mariners Box Score: May 13, 2021". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  28. ^ Guerrero, Daniel (June 6, 2021). "Gilbert grinds out 5 frames to earn 1st 'W'". MLB.com. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  29. ^ a b c d "Logan Gilbert Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
  30. ^ Divish, Ryan (May 2, 2022). "Mariners' Logan Gilbert named American League Pitcher of the Month after stellar April". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  31. ^ "Logan Gilbert hurls a gem | 09/30/2022". MLB.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  32. ^ "2022 American League Division Series (ALDS) Game 1, Seattle Mariners vs Houston Astros: October 11, 2022". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  33. ^ "Statcast Custom Leaderboards". baseballsavant.com. MLB.com.
  34. ^ "Seattle Mariners vs San Francisco Giants Box Score: July 4, 2023". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  35. ^ McCauley, Jane (July 4, 2023). "Gilbert pitches five-hit gem in Mariners' 6-0 win over Giants". The Columbian. Associated Press. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  36. ^ Farkas, Brady (July 10, 2023). "Seattle Mariners' Righty Wins American League Player of the Week". Fastball. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  37. ^ "Logan Gilbert 2023 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  38. ^ "2023 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  39. ^ "Team-by-team breakdown of the 2024 All-Stars". MLB.com. July 15, 2024.
  40. ^ "Seattle Mariners vs St. Louis Cardinals Box Score: September 7, 2024". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  41. ^ "Mariners, Cardinals - 09/07/2024 | Game Video Highlights | MLB Film Room". MLB.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  42. ^ "Logan Gilbert Most Strikeouts In Single Game". StatMuse. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  43. ^ "2024 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  44. ^ Friedman, Rob [@pitchingninja] (February 29, 2024). "Logan Gilbert's giant hand" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  45. ^ "Statcast Percentile Rankings". baseballsavant.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  46. ^ a b "Logan Gilbert Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics". baseballsavant.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  47. ^ Laurila, David (March 12, 2020). "Logan Gilbert Talks Pitching". FanGraphs Baseball. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  48. ^ "Extension (EXT) | Glossary". MLB.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  49. ^ Kramer, Daniel (March 25, 2022). "Gilbert gets insight from a worthy source: deGrom". MLB.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  50. ^ a b "Logan Gilbert - Pitch Type Splits". FanGraphs Baseball. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  51. ^ Kramer, Daniel (March 3, 2023). "Gilbert keeps spring tradition alive by unveiling new pitch". MLB.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  52. ^ Brock, Corey (March 15, 2023). "Mariners' Logan Gilbert adding a split-finger: 'It's going to be a phenomenal pitch'". The Athletic. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  53. ^ Driveline Baseball [@DrivelineBB] (February 18, 2024). "The story of how Logan Gilbert exchanged his change-up for a splitter that now has a stuff+ of 150 🔥🔥 as told by @LanginTots13" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  54. ^ Pitching Ninja (June 11, 2024). Big Hands, No Spin! Logan Gilbert's Splitter is a Unique Pitch # #mlb. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
  55. ^ "The most interesting new pitches of 2024 | 04/12/2024". MLB.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  56. ^ Mason, Zach (April 16, 2024). "Logan Gilbert's cutter is a good idea". Lookout Landing. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  57. ^ Seattle Mariners (February 17, 2025). Spring Training Media Session (Feb. 17): Logan Gilbert. Event occurs at 2:47. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
  58. ^ Verlander, Ben (June 23, 2022). "Logan Gilbert uses alter ego to find right mindset for Mariners". FOX Sports. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  59. ^ Kramer, Daniel (September 7, 2022). "'Walter,' Logan Gilbert's alter ego, has arrived". MLB.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  60. ^ Gilbert, Logan [@logangilbert22] (November 13, 2022). "Yesterday was the best day of my life. Everything about it was perfect. I got to marry the love of my life and my best friend. Aviles Gilbert, you are the best wife I could ever imagine and I love you with all my heart" – via Instagram.
  61. ^ Gilbert, Logan [@logangilbert22] (June 27, 2024). "Happy Birthday @avilesjgilbert" – via Instagram.
  62. ^ Gilbert, Logan [@logangilbert22] (November 20, 2023). "Congrats to my brother and his new wife! I'm so excited for you guys and this new chapter of life. You two are the perfect fit and so easy to celebrate! Love you both!" – via Instagram.
  63. ^ Raleigh, Cal (February 20, 2025). "I've gotten to know Logan very well over the past few years. Knowing him and watching how he interacts with people and just how he is…the guy can barely take care of himself". Reddit r/baseball. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  64. ^ Raleigh, Cal (February 20, 2025). "Least likely is probably Luis Castillo (very good changeup). Most likely is probably Logan". Reddit r/baseball. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via MLB Official on Reddit.
  65. ^ Doering, Joshua (July 12, 2022). "Rising Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert striving to 'glorify God in everything that I do'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  66. ^ All-Star Pitcher Logan Gilbert Says 'It Takes SURRENDER'. 700 Club Interactive. November 22, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
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