Mariners 2022 Report Cards: Grading the season for Logan Gilbert

Logan Gilbert had a pretty good Rookie season in 2021. There were plenty of bright spots, but a fair amount of rough patches as well. Most fans were thinking along the same line as he headed into the 2022 season… would we see a sophomore slump for Logan Gilbert, or would he take a leap and become a better pitcher?

Honestly, I probably was too easy of a grader with Gilbert last year. He didn’t deserve a B+, and he should’ve been closer to a B-. He had a good year in 2021, but there were definitely a lot of things that he needed to work on. The FIP was a lot better than the ERA, which factored into the decision. That was 2021 though, so what did he earn in 2022?

Logan Gilbert gets an A- for his 2022 Mariners season.

I don’t think there is any doubt that the Mariners pitching staff was the highlight of the season. George Kirby was a monster as a rookie, dotting people up and doing exactly what was needed out of a rookie pitcher.  Luis Castillo was a STUD, and Robbie Ray was actually pretty good (in the regular season).

Gilbert came into the year with a couple of questions surrounding him. Could he go deeper into ballgames and hold up in his first full season? Would he show an improvement on his stuff? That question was answered early, as he started showing off a slider that went from 83.4 mph to 86.9 mph, while his fastball went up a bit to 96.1 from 95.3.

It lead to a much lower SLG against him this year, down to .390 from .425. He was able to about 6 innings per start, tallying 185.2 innings in 32 starts with a 3.20 ERA, not missing a single one all year. He ended up with a 3.2 WAR, pretty solid for a young pitcher in his first full season. His ERA+ showed a solid season as well at 116, and his FIP was a very strong 3.46.

It wasn’t all great for Gilbert, though. He had one of the worst hard-hit rates in baseball, with an average exit velo of 91.0 mph, well above the league average of 88.4. It was an odd combination, as he didn’t get hit often, but when he did, it was hard. His BABIP against was at league average, he gave up less than an HR per game, but guys still hit him hard.

That will be the big thing to watch in 2023 with Gilbert. To see how hard players hit him. Otherwise, things went really well for Gilbert. He showed he deserves to be in the conversation for the #2/3 spot in the rotation. In 26 of 32 starts, he gave up three runs or less. He gave up four runs three times but went 5, 6, and 6 innings in those three games. He threw at least five innings in 31 of 32 starts as well, showing consistency all season.

It shows a lot to me as well that Logan Gilbert got nasty in September. He went full Walter mode (his alter ego), with games where he had 9, 9, and 11 strikeouts. That 11 K game was a career-high, and it was a lot of fun to watch. OH, he also had a game where he went 8 IP, allowing just three hits and one run on 101 pitches in his final regular-season start of the season.

He also got the ball in game one of the ALDS, going up against Verlander and arguably the best offense in baseball in Houston. He went 5.1 IP, giving up three runs and leaving the game with a strong lead. We don’t need to talk about what happened after that.

It was a great season for Gilbert, and I think it was exactly what us fans wanted. Sure, it would’ve been cool to see him strike out more hitters, but there isn’t much else that we could ask for. I’m really happy with how he did, and looking forward to seeing what he does next season.