FanSided

A look at the most dominant pitch used by every Mariners starter

Let's take a closer look at some of the most effective weapons from the Mariners' elite rotation from 2023.

By Jason Wang |
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Texas Rangers v Seattle Mariners / Steph Chambers/GettyImages
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Pitch mix is one of the most important aspects of a starter's toolkit. Unless your name is Spencer Strider, most use a wide array of different pitches to keep opposing batters on their toes. However, not all pitches are created equal and players often have one pitch that stands out above all the rest.

Not everyone can have an absolutely disgusting pitch, or earn the title of "best slider" or "best sinker" in baseball, or the aforementioned Strider heat. It doesn't feel like that long ago that Felix Hernandez held on to that title for a while with his changeup, and there is a fair argument to be made that certain members of the Mariners bullpen could hold that title for some of their work. Especially when it comes to making hitters hold up a sword.

Let's take a look at each of the Mariners' starters, and see which pitch is their "go-to" from the 2023 season. A big-time shoutout to Pitching Ninja for being one of the best in the game when it comes to putting together exactly how dirty pitchers can be. This article gives plenty of examples he's provided, so you can check out each pitch and just how dominant they were in 2023.

Luis Castillo - Four Seam Fastball

Usage: 44.4%
BA: .165
Whiff Rate: 33.0%
Strikeout Rate: 32.8%
Total Run Value: 19

While he was known for having an excellent changeup in Cincinnati, Castillo has been all about the heat since coming to Seattle. High fastballs have been all the rage since 2017 when analytics teams began to notice that they increased whiffs and decreased hard contact. Castillo's style has paired well with this new trend, with sliders and sinkers covering the rest of the zone. Great control and an average velocity of 96.3 mph are what allowed him to have one of the best fastballs in MLB.

George Kirby - Four Seam Fastball

Usage: 39.4%
BA: .234
Whiff Rate: 28.0%
Strikeout Rate: 28.4%
Total Run Value: 14

Kirby is one of the most exciting names in pitching. He led all of baseball in walk statistics last year with a 2.5% walk rate, 0.9 BB/9, and 9.05 K/W. One contributing factor to this performance was his willingness to attack the strike zone with extreme aggression, powered by his four-seam fastball. While not quite as effective as Luis Castillo's, Kirby put up similar strikeout numbers while also concentrating his pitches in the upper part of the zone.

Bryan Woo - Four Seam Fastball

Usage: 46.9%
BA: .207
Whiff Rate: 30.3%
Strikeout Rate: 31.3%
Total Run Value: 7

Despite filling in the last spot in the rotation, Woo's fastball did some serious damage in his 18 starts. He averaged 95.1 mph and thrived at the top of the zone, posting whiff and strikeout numbers very close to Luis Castillo. He was held back by a somewhat high slugging percentage of .407, but Woo's fastball could be considered among some of the best when things were rocking and rolling.

Logan Gilbert - Slider

Usage: 29.7%
BA: .211
Whiff Rate: 32.2%
Strikeout Rate: 22.7%
Total Run Value: 15

2023 was the first year since his debut that Gilbert didn't have an exceptional four-seam fastball. Compared to 2021 and 2022, it regressed in nearly every category while his slider made huge strides. In particular, he increased his put-away percentage by 5% and his whiff rate by 7.1%. If you're interested in learning more, I wrote an article about this very pitch back in September.

Bryce Miller - Slider

Usage: 18.9%
BA: .202
Whiff Rate: 24.4%
Strikeout Rate: 26.0%
Total Run Value: 3

During Miller's strong rookie year, his five-pitch arsenal was well-rounded but the one pitch that stood out most was his slider. It averaged 86.6 mph and was his primary breaking ball option. He leaned heavily into his four seam fastball, using it nearly 60% of the time, so the slider was a welcome change of pace. He's allegedly adding a splitter in the offseason so expect him to continue attacking opposing batters below the zone in 2024.

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