Ranking Logan Gilbert and every Mariners Opening Day starter since 2010

The wait is finally all but over, as the Seattle Mariners prepare for their season opener on Thursday night at home versus the Athletics. Plenty of traditions will be renewed, with baseball in many ways holding onto its history more than any other professional sport in North America.

Among those who love and appreciate the pageantry which surrounds Opening Day, is Logan Gilbert. As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, he recently said: "I think back to high school and college, and it felt like a holiday on Opening Day. It's the first game of the year; all the best pitchers are out there. So to me — and I'm an extreme baseball fan so it's probably different — but I felt like the world stopped for that day, and everybody just had their TV on and watched the best pitchers in the game go at it."

On the subject of Gilbert and the best pitchers in the game, he will get the nod this time around as the Opening Day starter for the Mariners. With this in mind, we decided to undergo a fun exercise of ranking all five of the team's Opening Day starters, dating back to and including 2010.

5. Robbie Ray

Opening Day starts: 2022

There was so much excitement surrounding Robbie Ray when he signed his five-year, $115 million deal with the Mariners, and understandably so. He was coming off a 2021 campaign when he led the AL in a whole host of categories including WAR, ERA, ERA+ and WHIP, and won the Cy Young Award.

Ray only fanned the flames of expectations as the Mariners' Opening Day starter in 2022. On the road in Minnesota against the Twins, he allowed three hits, four walks and just one run while striking out five in seven innings, taking the win as the M's held on for 2-1 victory.

However, it soon became clear that the 2021 MLB strikeout leader was not going to replicate his success of a year earlier. He finished with a 4.15 ERA for the month of April, followed by a 5.34 ERA in May. His final productivity for the season (i.e., a 3.71 ERA and 2.2 WAR) wasn't outright disastrous, but it was also nowhere near to what was expected. Then came the Yordan Alvarez homer, of course.

The Mariners were encouraged that Ray would bounce back in 2023. Yet after a nightmare first start when he allowed four hits and five runs in just 3.1 innings, he was subsequently lost for the season due to a torn flexor tendon which required Tommy John surgery. He would eventually be traded to the San Francisco Giants at the beginning of 2024, ending his disappointing tenure in Seattle.

4. Marco Gonzales

Opening Day starts: 2019-21

It will surprise some people to know that only three pitchers have had more Opening Day starts for the Mariners than Marco Gonzales: Félix Hernández, Randy Johnson and Jamie Moyer. This leads to an interesting conversation about Gonzales' place in team history.

On the one hand, the 2013 first-round draft pick was steady rather than spectacular during his tenure in Seattle, as he produced a 4.08 ERA, 4,34 FIP and 1.272 WHIP in 151 appearances. Further, that he was able to get three Opening Days starts is indicative of the dearth of talent in the rotation around this time for the team.

On the other hand, you still have to give Gonzales his due for stepping up and earning his Opening Day starts, when considering what he achieved during a period when the Mariners were undergoing a major overhaul of the franchise from top to bottom. Besides, he did have his moments, highlighted by a 2020 campaign when he went 7-2 in 11 starts, in the process producing a 1.5 WAR, 3.10 ERA, 138 ERA+, 3.32 FIP and 0.947 WHIP.

As for the 33-year-old's three Opening Day starts, he went 1-1 and had one no-decision, with the highlight arguably being his first opener against the then-Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in 2019. He wasn't outstanding, as evidenced by seven hits and four runs (three earned) in 6.0 innings, but he ultimately did enough to notch the win in an enthralling 9-7 encounter on foreign soil in Japan.

3. Luis Castillo

Opening Day starts: 2023-24

As with the signing of Ray, the excitement surrounding the trade for Luis Castillo in July of 2022 was palpable. Unlike his new teammate, though, Castillo actually lived up to the hype. He notably logged 7.0 innings of excellence versus the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card round that same year, allowing just six hits, no walks and no runs while striking out five in a 4-0 win.

With Ray not delivering on expectations during his first season in Seattle, Castillo deservedly got the nod as the Opening Day starter in 2023 at home to the Cleveland Guardians. He was exceptional, as he went 6.0 innings and allowed just one hit, no walks or runs and struck out six. While he received a no-decision, the Mariners won 3-0.

The three-time All-Star would get a second consecutive Opening Day start last year at home to the Boston Red Sox. Things did not go quite so well this time around, though. He gave up six hits, two walks and four runs, recording the loss in a frustrating 6-4 defeat.

That Opening Day loss proved to be the precursor for a tough season for Castillo which, while not bad, saw him finish as the least productive starter in the Mariners' rotation. As a result, following an offseason in which he was the subject of some trade speculation, he lost the Opening Day role to No. 2 on our list.

2. Logan Gilbert

Opening Day starts: 2025

In truth, the toughest decision in this list was deciding who to rank higher between Gilbert and Castillo. They are close in so many areas during their time in Seattle, with "Walter" producing a 3.60 ERA, 1.06 ERA+, 3.55 FIP and 1.063 WHIP, compared to a 3.43 ERA, 111 ERA+, 3.72 FIP and 1.126 WHIP by "The Rock".

Eventually, we decided to go with Gilbert. As much as Castillo has meant to the Mariners, his teammate in one of baseball's elite rotations is on a trajectory which could see him end up being one of the best pitchers in franchise history.

The 27-year-old is coming off a 2024 campaign when he truly took his place among the top arms in the game. His durability was unquestioned, as he tied for the league lead with 33 starts and led all Major League pitchers with a career-high 208.2 innings.

There was so much more to Gilbert's game, though, as he also led the Majors with a stunning 0.887 WHIP, while also producing a 3.23 ERA to go along with other career-bests of a 113 ERA+ and 3.27 FIP. He was deservedly rewarded with a first ever All-Star selection, and the belief is there is still plenty more to come from the 2018 first-round draft pick.

1. Félix Hernández

Opening Day starts: 2010-18

How could it be anyone but Hernández being ranked No. 1? He's often mentioned in the debate for the best Mariners starting pitcher of all time, along with Johnson. In this respect, "King Félix" is first all-time in franchise history in WAR, wins, strikeouts and innings pitched.

Returning to Opening Day specifically, the six-time All-Star has the Mariners record for most ever Opening Days starts with 11, which includes his first in 2007 and second in 2009, which began his run of 10 consecutive Opening Day starts. He personally had a record of 7-2 with two no-decisions on Opening Day, and the team went 9-2 in his 11 starts.

Hernández began as he meant to go on, with 8.0 innings of shutout ball in his first ever Opening Day start in 2007 at home against the Athletics. He struck out 12 and only allowed three hits and two walks, as the Mariners went on to win 4-0.

One of the only two times the righty recorded a no-decision was in 2010, somewhat ironic given that this was the year he would take home the AL Cy Young Award. His final Opening Day start in 2018 came at home against Cleveland. He finished in style, throwing 5.1 innings and allowing no runs and just two hits and a couple of walks, to clinch the win in a 2-1 triumph for the Mariners.

Recent Posts