How Mariners ace Logan Gilbert is making an early push for AL Cy Young Award

We’re only a few weeks into the 2025 MLB season, but Logan Gilbert looks like he’s on a mission. And that mission is to finally earn some serious hardware.

The Seattle Mariners' ace right-hander has been absolutely dominant through his first three starts, posting a 2.55 ERA with eight hits and three walks allowed in 17.2 innings. And it’s not just Mariners fans who are taking notice as Gilbert prepares for his fourth start of the season against the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

The 27-year-old is pitching like someone who belongs in the AL Cy Young Award conversation, looking to become just the third Mariners pitcher to earn that honor and the first since Felix Hernandez won it in 2010.

Logan Gilbert is raising his dominance to new levels early in 2025

What’s different this year? For starters, Gilbert is getting more swing-and-miss than ever before. His strikeout numbers (25 so far) are climbing, and it’s not by accident.

As Thomas Harrigan pointed out in his recent article on MLB.com, Gilbert made a big change in the offseason in ditching his cutter and doubling down on the splitter, which now accounts for 25.5 percent of his pitches. That move is already paying off in a huge way.

Hitters have been completely baffled by the new-look splitter. Opponents are 0-for-14 against it and are whiffing nearly 58 percent of the time when they swing at it. That’s not just good — it’s elite.

The pitch has taken a huge leap with its movement profile, now dropping more than 4 inches more than it did in 2024. That extra movement has helped it rank third in all of baseball in vertical drop. When you’re throwing a pitch that looks like a fastball and then disappears like that, especially with his extension, it’s easy to see why hitters are coming up empty.

But it’s not just the numbers. Gilbert looks confident and in control every time he takes the mound. Fans have seen him grow and his alter ego, "Walter," transforms his mentality and ability to absolutely dominate hitters at a consistent rate.

He’s also mixing pitches with precision, attacking hitters early in the count — he has a 75.4 first-pitch strike percentage— and finishing them off with that nasty splitter. And while it’s still early, this version of Logan Gilbert looks like the best we’ve ever seen.

If he keeps this up, there’s no doubt he’ll be in the thick of the Cy Young race come September. And it’s hard for Mariners fans not to get excited. Gilbert is giving us something special to watch every fifth day — and maybe, just maybe, something to celebrate at the end of the season.