5 bold predictions for the Mariners for the 2024 season

Mariners Bold Prediction #2: Logan Gilbert is the Ace of the staff

Part of this may just be me being stubborn. I love watching Logan Gilbert pitch, and he's my favorite player on the team. If it helps make sense, we're the same height, and I was a long-haired pitcher with an attitude back in the day... not the mid-30s bald guy that I currently represent.

Anyway, Gilbert shows those flashes of being able to lead a rotation. Think back to the start of 2022. He set the team record for April with a 0.40 ERA through his four starts that month, throwing 22.1 IP, striking out 22, and the lone run coming on a solo homer by Luis Arraez in the second AB of the first game. He didn't give up another run until the bottom of the 6th on a May 1st game against the Marlins when Brian Anderson would take him deep for a solo shot.

His slider was a massive weapon in 2023, and the 4-seamer was a big weapon in 2022. What happens if he is feeling both of them next season? That's the prediction here. That Gilbert finishes with an ERA of right around 3.00, let's call it a 2.96, and leads the team's rotation as their Ace.