Mariners' Logan Gilbert has put the American League on notice that he's back

When thinking of Mariners that need time to warm up, Julio Rodríguez is the player who comes to mind, not Logan Gilbert. However, Seattle's Opening Day starter didn't get off to the hottest start, pitching to a 4.03 ERA across the first seven outings of the year. By the start of May, all discussion of a possible extension seemed to die down as a result.

But now, it seems like Gilbert isn't ready to consider the matter closed.

Logan Gilbert has been far more effective on the mound for the Mariners over the past month

Luckily, it didn't take long for Gilbert to figure things out. Since the start of May, he has made nine starts, pitching to a 2.78 ERA with a 29.3% strikeout rate over 55 innings. Over that same stretch, opposing hitters are whiffing 30.9% of the time and making contact in the strike zone just 78.6% of the time.

Much of this success can be attributed to his secondary offerings, which are responsible for most of the swings-and-misses. He's at his best when his slider is sharp and it's no surprise that in his best years, it has been his most effective pitch by run value. It works well with his four-seam fastball and hitters are chasing it 40.2% of the time this season.

His splitter has been effective at times, boasting excellent shape. It mimics the vertical break of his slider but with less velocity and slightly more arm-side movement. It has led to some ugly swings but because it ends up in the zone just 23.8% of the time, hitters aren't chasing the pitch as much as he'd like and it can sometimes cause him to fall behind in counts.

His recent success earned him Player of the Week honors for the American League, an important indicator that things are trending in the right direction, but there's still one glaring area to fix before he's fully out of the woods.

Although his ERA since May 1st is just 2.78, his FIP is much higher at 4.12. His walk rate was good at just 6.7% but he gave up quite a few home runs — 10 of his 14 for the season, to be exact. He has managed to keep his season ERA to a reasonable 3.29 but his propensity to concede hard contact is emphasized by his barrel rate of 11.6%, landing him in the bottom decile of qualified pitchers.

Despite his imperfections, there's still plenty to be excited about when it comes to his recent return to form. With the right adjustments, he may revive extension conversations and Cal Raleigh's return from the injured list may help give him yet another boost. Given their piggyback situation, the Mariners aren't exactly hurting for starting pitching depth, but having their ace back in business can only be a good thing.

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