
Big Bert in the bright lights
In his morning manager’s meeting today, Dan Wilson informed the press that the team has come to a decision on the 2025 Opening Day starter: Logan Gilbert. It will be the first career Opening Day start for the 27-year-old, who has been the vanguard of the Mariners’ draft-and-develop approach to forming one of the best pitching staffs in the league.
Gilbert was the Mariners’ best pitcher by WAR last year, improving on his 2023 by a full win and earning his first career All-Star nod. It was the best year yet for Gilbert, who reached personal bests in strikeout and walk rates, but also ranked among the league’s best pitchers: he led the league in innings pitched and finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting.
Gilbert, who describes himself as a “one step at a time” kind of person, said he was surprised, and a little taken aback, when he received the news. “I was super excited, obviously. A little caught off-guard, because I didn’t want to expect it, of course, with Luis being the veteran guy, and I thought he’s completely deserving. We have a bunch of guys on our staff who could be Opening Day starters…But it’s something you always dream of, it’s a really big deal. So I don’t take it lightly.”
Wilson called it a very tough decision between Gilbert and Luis Castillo, who has been the Mariners’ Opening Day starter for the past two years, but took care to highlight the role that Castillo has played in Gilbert’s success.
“The Rock has been The Rock. He gets that nickname because of that. He’s been so steady, he’s been so consistent. . .that’s him, that’s been his M.O. He’s the veteran of the staff. So it’s hard to see the changing of that a little bit. But he’s been tremendous about it all.
It was a difficult decision, but the way Luis has handled it is awesome. He’s a true professional. And he has poured a lot into these young pitchers over the course of the last couple years, so I think he can feel proud as well as those guys take the mound, and as Logan takes the mound to start Opening Day, because of the work he’s put into them.”
Gilbert gave even more insight into the moment the news was delivered.
“[Luis] was more excited for me than I was. He’s that type of guy. Dan told me, and for five seconds probably, I don’t think a word came out, I was just taking it in. And Luis was like, ‘say something!’ Super excited for me, giving me hugs, all this kind of stuff. That’s just the kind of guy he is. Behind closed doors he’s exactly the same thing that you see.”
The generosity of spirit evident in Castillo’s celebration of Gilbert’s good news is mirrored in his generosity in mentoring the young pitching staff. In fact, Gilbert might not even be in this position if not for Castillo’s leadership, the reason why he feels he “can’t say enough” about who Castillo is as a person.
“He’s helped me a ton. I mean, it’s great to have his presence, he keeps it loose, awesome teammate, that kind of stuff. But he really has put his arm around me at times and helped me, steered me in the right direction if something’s off-track, if I’m overthinking, whatever it may be. He’s very good at just being himself and he’s helped me lean into that as well.”
The Mariners are in an enviable position where starting pitching is concerned, spoiled for choice in selecting an Opening Day starter. In the end, Wilson and the Mariners felt it was necessary to acknowledge the role Gilbert played last year in keeping the team competitive, not only with his performance on the mound, but also his ability to take the ball every five days and go deep into games, saving a beleaguered bullpen and always giving his team their best chance to win.
“Logan, with a big year last year and over 200 innings, and a guy that has stepped forward, you want to reward that, no doubt,” said Wilson.
Even though this is an individual achievement, Wilson emphasized that Gilbert’s drive to improve and be the best version of himself is representative of the pitching staff as a whole.
“The bond, the camaraderie, whatever you want to call it. This group is a special group of pitchers…It’s hard to single out one guy in the group, because this is such a close group.”
But there can be only one Opening Day starter, and this year, the Mariners give that honor to Gilbert, in recognition of both his achievements on the field and the role he plays in headlining the Mariners’ vaunted collection of young starting pitching.
“Logan is Logan. He’s a tremendous talent, but he’s also a guy that really pushes himself. I know that Logan will take the ball and this mantle in the best way possible…He’s going to want to do his best to live up to what an Opening Day starter does.”
For his part, Gilbert absolutely understands what the mantle of an Opening Day starter entails, even if he’s not quite yet to the stage of fully processing that now that mantle is his to wear.
“Thinking back to high school and college, it felt like a holiday on Opening Day. It’s the first game of the year, all the best pitchers are out there. 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. So it feels like a holiday, it always has for me, and I’m sure it will again this year.”
Gilbert stopped short of recognizing that when he says “the best pitchers in the game are out there,” that’s a fraternity that now includes him. Hopefully he’ll have a chance to let that knowledge sink in sometime between now and the 27th, when the world stops for the day.
Edit: Zach Mason popping in here without even asking Kate first just to say heeeeeeeeeeeeeeell yeah