Last season, the Seattle Mariners may have disappointed fans as they fell short of the MLB postseason after snapping their two-decade-long hiatus from those playoffs.
But there should be a lot of hope heading into the 2024 season. While the lineup and defense has a lot of reasons for excitement, especially in young star Julio Rodríquez, the hope mainly comes from the pitching staff.
The starters make what ranks among the best rotations in the league, with a lot of fans expecting them to be the best. The bullpen is not far behind, featuring several players with some of the best pitches and execution in the league.
Seattle features Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller in the rotation. Three players with the potential to make a push for the Cy Young and two young arms who exceeded expectations in their debut 2023 seasons.
Woo and Miller exceeded expectations so much that their names floated in trade rumors over the offseason, as many fans wanted the front office to make a move for another bat. Instead of moving on from the young tandem, the front office made a move to depart from Robbie Ray, trading the former Cy Young winner to San Francisco.
Part of the hesitation the front office had to trade the young arms came from their stars adamant proclamation to keep them.
Rodríquez urged the team to keep both players, viewing them as core pieces of the future of the club, according to the Seattle Times (Paywall).
“I mean, they’re electric,” he said. “They have different pitches, but they’re similar in a lot of ways. They can blow it by anybody. … I definitely see myself playing with them for a long time. We’re all young and we all knew each other coming up the system, and it feels really good to have the same core players. You know what you’re going to get from them. They are who they are, and they’re really good people to have on your team.”
In the same Times article, writer Adam Jude reported Jerry Dipoto, Mariners president of baseball operations, said the team had no inclination of trading either player, as the price they set for teams to match was never met.
Woo, 24, and Miller, 25, both debuted in 2023 thanks in part to injuries and both made it clear they were there to stay.
Miller debuted first, making 25 starts with a 4.32 ERA over 131.2 innings. His start had been historic, starting his career sporting a 1.15 ERA over his first 31.1 innings with an ERA+ of 335, meaning he started off 225% better than the average MLB pitcher.
Woo made 18 starts in his debut year, pitching 87.2 innings to the tune of a 4.21 ERA.
Personally, I’ve always had confidence in both pitchers. On May 22, 2023, I wrote in a SoDo Mojo article Woo deserved a big-league shot. On March 15, 2023, in another Sodo Mojo article, I named Miller as my under-the-radar pitcher pick to break camp with the team.
Finally, in a Feb. 24, 2023, Daily Evergreen column, I wrote, “Miller, [Taylor] Dollard and Woo all possess high ceilings if they can put everything together. All three may see times at the MLB level depending on how workload and injuries develop over the season.”
Those two are just part of the puzzle, as the three-headed monster of Castillo, Gilbert and Kirby all individually have Cy Young potential.
Castillo is the de facto ace, the most decorated pitcher on the staff and the one most likely to win it all after finishing fifth last season in American League Cy Young Award voting. Throwing a career-high 197.0 innings, he made a league-leading 33 starts with a 3.34 ERA and 219 strikeouts.
He struck out 10.0 batters per nine and had 3.91 strikeouts per walk. Giving up the long ball proved to be his biggest concern, as he gave up 1.3 home runs per nine, his most since 2018. If he can keep the ball under control, there are few pitchers as electric as La Piedra.
Second up is Kirby, who finished eighth in Cy Young voting in 2023 and who MLB put on their shortlist for top candidates for the Award in 2024. No one in MLB is more dominant than Kirby in controlling the zone while still striking out batters.
His 9.05 strikeouts per walk paced the league, thanks to his minimal 19 walks over 190.2 innings. In his 31 starts, he kept his ERA low, finishing at 3.35 ERA, just lower than his 2022 mark. Despite decreasing his ERA, his FIP, which predicts a pitcher’s ERA based on outcomes unreliant on defense, increased.
He also struck out batters on a lower rate, but the 6-foot, 4-inch righty has been working on several different pitch grips. His splitter is already dominant, but if he actually commits to learning his knuckleball, another level may be unlocked for the righty.
Rounding out the top trio, Gilbert towers at 6 feet, 6 inches and got a X post dedicated to the size of his hands.
The only one to not get any love in Cy Young voting, Gilbert made 32 starts, pitching 190.2 innings with a 3.73 ERA and striking out 189 batters. He had the lowest WHIP of his three-year career. With a little more luck, his ERA can easily dip into the 3.30 range.
As for the bullpen, Matt Brash has a nasty combination of pitches, Emerson Hancock possesses heaps of talent, Andrés Muńoz is a sub-3.00 ERA reliever and the Mariners have proven time and time again that they are whisperers of unlocking bullpen talent.
For the 2024 season, there are few pitching staffs that have the all-around potential of the Mariners. Three pitchers can conceivably be the best pitcher in the AL, two more can take steps forward and the bullpen can hold an All-Star or two.
