Mariners Pitchers I’m Most Excited to Watch in 2022

In recent history, pitching hasn’t really been considered the strength for the Seattle Mariners. Even back when they had guys like Randy Johnson, Freddy Garcia, and Felix Hernandez, the bats were typically what people thought of first when it came to the Mariners. Coming into the 2021 season, most people expected pitching to be more of a liability than a strength. That said, I think it’s safe to say the Mariners pitching staff outperformed expectations in 2021.

While there were ups and downs for both the starting rotation and the bullpen, both groups provided fans with some exciting moments, and in some cases, glimpses of what could be a big strength for this team moving forward. In years past, it has felt like the front office has put a big emphasis on bringing in bats to fill out the lineup, then just hope that a patchwork stable of arms can do enough to keep us in games and get us through the year.

I’m not convinced that this wasn’t their intention in 2021 as well, but the guys who were given opportunities took advantage of it (for the most part), and it resulted in a 90-win season and fantastic ROI for guys like Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider and Kendall Graveman. This article is going to take a look at some of the most exciting arms who are expected to be a part of the big league staff in the coming season, and make the case for why pitching could be the strength of the team moving forward.

There are so many things about Chris Flexen that make him fun to root for. For one, the passion he shows on the mound is visible from my la-z-boy recliner. Besides that and his performance on the field (which we’ll get into in a moment), his story is just so damn cool.

After eight years with the New York Mets organization (mostly at the MiLB level), the Mets decided he couldn’t cut it in the bigs and sent him packing. After a year in the KBO where he went to prove his worth as a starter, the Mariners took a flyer on him and signed him to a 2-year contract worth $4.75m. Safe to say that worked out for both sides as Flexen went on to have the strongest season of any starter in the Mariners rotation.

Looking back on his 2021 season, two words come to mind: durability and consistency. Flexen led all M’s starters with 31 games started including 14 wins, and at 27 years old, seems to be hitting his peak at just the right time to earn a sizable extension. He was also overwhelmingly consistent in 2021, pitching at least 5 innings in all but three of his starts. If those trends continue next season, I could see Flexen filling an Iwakuma-type role for this team for years to come.

Despite the volatility of the position, I have to show some love to the relievers here too. After all, they saved our bacon more than a couple times last year, and nobody did that more than Paul Sewald. Another Mets castoff, Sewald was brought in to compete for a bullpen spot during Spring Training. He made the cut and turned into much more than just another arm in the stable.

Shortly after his call-up, Sewald slid in behind Kendall Graveman working as the set up man where he typically faced the heaviest part of the opponents lineup in crucial situations. He filled that role as well as anyone in the MLB maintaining a sub .200 opponent average over the course of the season, including a ridiculous month of June during which he held opponents to a .077 batting average. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that he finished second in all of baseball in strikeouts by a reliever with 104 in 64.2 innings pitched (Liam Hendricks led all relievers with 113 K’s in 71 IP).

Sewald won over the hearts of Mariners fans and players alike with his performance in the most high leverage situations, and his signature finger-heart sign off every time he closed out an inning. After playing last year on a veteran’s minimum contract, he should receive a well-deserved pay raise in his second year of arbitration. Whether or not he fills a role similar to the one he filled in 2021, I expect to see him continue to provide the bullpen with a consistent, reliable arm whenever his number is called.

Okay, one more reliever. Ken Giles was an addition the Mariners made last offseason knowing he would not be available for the 2021 season. This tells me Dipoto and company have enough confidence in this guy from what they’ve seen from him during his years with Houston and Toronto to invest in him upfront with the long-term in mind.

Giles excelled in the role of the flame-throwing closer during his last three full seasons, as was evident by his ever-rising K/9 % (14.09% in 2019). However, it’s unfair to expect him to fill that same role coming off of Tommy John surgery, but if he can demonstrate the same command of the strike zone he did during his last two full seasons (BB/9 was 1.25 in ‘18 and 2.89 in ‘19) he should still be able to be an impact arm coming out of the bullpen.

Besides being able to provide the Mariners bullpen with another veteran arm, Giles also brings with him something that many of these young guys on the Mariners roster lack: playoff experience, and maybe more importantly, playoff success.

While the 2017 World Series was not his strongest performance (Giles allowed 5 runs in his two outings vs. the Dodgers), he did play an integral part in getting the Astros to that World Series, filling a set-up role similar to the role Sewald filled for the Mariners this past season.

Mariners brass obviously had enough confidence in him to give him a 2-year contract to play one year for the team, so I’m interested to see how much gas he has coming back from Tommy John, and what role the Mariners ask him to fill out of the bullpen in 2022.

You know I had to include one of the young guns from the Mariners #1 ranked farm system here. While Emerson Hancock was the Mariners top pitching prospect coming into 2021, George Kirby has since jumped him in the M’s rankings putting them at 3 and 4 respectively. Matt Brash is another interesting name given that the Mariners decided he had shown enough in AA Arkansas to bring him up to the MLB roster for the teams final series.

I’m going with Kirby here for a few reasons. For one, I think he will be the first guy they call up to be a part of the rotation, if he isn’t on the Opening Day roster. While I’ve gone on the record saying I expect the Mariners to round out their rotation in free agency, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kirby as a 6th man in the rotation on the Opening Day roster if he shows out in Spring Training like he did in the minors last year.

In addition to his early MLB ETA, his stuff is pretty good too. Heading into the 2021 season MLB Pipeline listed Kirby as having the best control of any pitcher in the minors. He certainly didn’t do anything to shed that label, touting a solid 5.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio between A+ Everett and AA Arkansas in 2021 (compared to 3.3 for Hancock and 2.95 for Brash to give you some context).

Whether he makes a significant impact on the pitching staff this season remains to be seen, but I think there’s little question George Kirby will be making his MLB debut with the Mariners before season’s end, and I for one am excited to see what the kid can do.

With so many young guys absolutely shoving in the minors, the Mariners have set themselves up to be able to pick and choose where to fit different guys in, and who they can use as trade pieces to improve other areas of the roster.

Honorable Mentions: Emerson Hancock, Matt Brash, Brandon Williamson