In 2024, the Mariners had Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo healthy and thriving, Bryan Woo activated midyear and surging, and Emerson Hancock hanging around not pitching well. In 2025, Gilbert, Kirby and Miller were tired, with Miller showing up late for some terrific postseason starts, Castillo was healthy all year, Woo was healthy all year, and Hancock was once again shaky. So now, this year...everybody's healthy. Gilbert, Kirby, Woo, Castillo, Miller and Hancock, all healthy, all aiding the team. Which means we've got a six man rotation where virtually any of them can be relied upon for a great start...in addition to an offense that isn't afraid to go nuts. It may not show immediately because of their rough June, but...the Mariners have more going on than usual right now.
Right now it's really only Castillo who's having a poor year, and even then it'll still come with an occasional dominant start that's vintage Castillo. He's still 33 and a little worse for wear but at the end of the day he's still Luis Castillo. Everybody else is on point. Logan Gilbert is once again coming off like a true ace, with a 1.010 WHIP, a 3.42 ERA, 107 Ks and a 2.2 WAR. The dominance that has kept him at the forefront of this team has persisted, and Gilbert is still one of the most consistent pitching forces in the league. Getting to see what 'good' Emerson Hancock looks like has also been a highlight of this season, and he's got a 3.47 ERA with 87 Ks. Bryce Miller has been excellent since coming off the IL, he has a 1.97 ERA, a 0.723 WHIP and a 1.9 WAR in 8 games. This is exactly what he was doing in the playoffs last year, and it's all he's after now. Woo and Kirby have been a little more pedestrian but they're still steady, reliable options that just have higher ERAs than expected. But nobody's getting pushed out there to eat innings, it's not a 'draw straws' kind of rotation like Colorado's. That's why there's six guys in that rotation, they're all excellent and even if Castillo has to do long relief every so often, he can still swing back in and dominate from the jump.
The team itself however has been struggling of late, and are currently fighting to stay atop the AL West thanks to both a rough couple weeks and a recent surge from the Rangers. They've lost a lot of series' against people they could have beaten, teams like the Orioles, Nationals, Red Sox, Guardians and Pirates. Not only is Josh Naylor not really hitting that well, but he's beginning to get a poor reputation. This after he brought so much joy to this fanbase last year is a very sharp turn of events. Luke Raley and J.P. Crawford had nice starts but have both gone very cold. And Cal Raleigh...he's still not hitting, and the worry that he hit his ceiling last year is about to emerge. Or maybe the fear that they traded away Harry Ford prematurely.
I still think the Mariners are the best team in this division, and they still have the leverage even if the Rangers threaten from behind. Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, Cole Young and Logan Gilbert are all at the top of their games, and the Rangers don't have near as much going for them at the moment. We'll see what happens after the ASG break.
Coming Tomorrow- A guy with a very good chance of starting the All-Star Game at 1st for the NL for...well, certainly not the first time.
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