This is the perfect time to bring Logan Gilbert to The Show

Logan Gilbert has been called up for the Seattle Mariners, and contrary to what you may have thought when hearing the news now is the perfect time to do it.

A big worry that I have been hearing from friends and fans alike revolves around the number of innings that he might be throwing, and how it could be overextending the youngster, putting too much wear on his arm too soon.

Is that really the case though? In calling him up to the majors, I think that they are actually going to be able to better manage how many innings he is going to be throwing, and have a stronger grip on not just innings, but his pitch count also.

The Seattle Mariners are actually saving Logan Gilbert’s arm by calling him up this early.

Think about Tacoma. If they are going to be using a five-man rotation there, then Gilbert would be making somewhere around 28 starts, based on the 142 games that Tacoma is set to play. By calling Logan Gilbert up, the Seattle Mariners are going to be able to cut that number down to somewhere in the low 20s. There are only 120-125 games left. A six-man rotation, if that is something the team keeps going with, will let Gilbert see about 20 starts.

That is a big difference in innings. Even if they are limiting his pitches, and he only ever throws 5-6 innings as they work on stretching him out towards a big league season, we still see a difference of 40-60 innings.

There’s another benefit as well. With young pitchers, sometimes they reach a pre-determined limit on innings and get shut down early. It’s not going to benefit Gilbert to get shut down as September rolls around, forcing him to miss out on either a late call-up or postseason ball for Tacoma. It would either be that or an extended shutdown in the middle of the season to avoid a late season innings push.

Now, he gets to come up, face major leaguers, and do it only once a week. The Mariners have shown every indication of sticking with a six-man, and it’s going to benefit everyone on the staff. Having him roll out there every sixth game, throwing somewhere between 70-90 pitches for a few months, and gaining experience is perfect for Gilbert. Even more, it could provide a future look as to how the team is going to handle the call-ups of Kirby and Hancock.

Mariners fans, rejoice. Logan Gilbert is here, and the team looks like they are going to treat him correctly, all the while making amends from the situation with he who should not be named. It’s Logan Gilbert (AND JARRED KELENIC) day, and it’s a great day to be a Seattle Mariners fan.