The Mariners selected Logan Gilbert 14th overall in the 2018 MLB draft. He spent time in Arkansas, Modesto and West Virginia before getting called up to the majors in 2021 at age 24. He is 12-5 with a 3.66 ERA this season.
The Mariners selected George Kirby 20th overall in the 2019 draft. He played in Everett, Arkansas and Tacoma before getting called up to the big leagues last year at age 24. He is 10-8 with a 3.28 ERA.
The Mariners selected Bryce Miller in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB draft. He spent time in Modesto, Everett and Arkansas before getting called to the show last April at 24. He is 8-4 with a 3.93 ERA.
Bryan Woo was picked in the sixth round of the '21 draft and has started 13 games this season. Emerson Hancock was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft, and though he has been shut down for the year, showed promise in his three starts this season.
There is plenty of credit to be distributed when it comes to the pitching prowess of the Mariners. They have the best team ERA in baseball and a true ace in Luis Castillo, whose 3.01 ERA is fifth-lowest in MLB. But it's those first five names mentioned in this column that epitomize the distinction between the Mariners and the rest of the league. They essentially built their starting rotation from scratch.
Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci recently penned a piece on The Tampa Bay Rays' inimitable ability to turn struggling pitchers into standouts. It's part of the formula that has led the team to being in the top five in MLB in team ERA each of the past five seasons, and why the Rays are on track to reach the postseason for a fifth consecutive year.
But to draft, develop, promote — and then watch a bevy of arms dominate when they've been alive for only a quarter century? Show me another team that's doing that.
ESPN's Jeff Passan said as much earlier three weeks ago on Seattle Sports with hosts Mike Salk and Brock Huard.
"The fact that they're calling up Emerson Hancock and that over the last two [years] — I guess with Gilbert, you can go back a little further — but really over the last two years, they have brought up Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo and now Emerson Hancock? They have essentially developed a full rotation internally," Passan said. "That is a ridiculous thing to do over the course of two years."
That interview was on Aug. 9 when the Mariners were 62-52, two games out of the AL wild-card race and 5 1/2 games behind Texas in the American League West. Now they are 76-57, in first place in the division and seem destined for a repeat postseason appearance.
No doubt the Mariners offense, which has posted the fifth-best OPS since the All-Star break, has played a pivotal role in that surge up the standings. And though Castillo might end up with the AL Cy Young Award, it's the homegrown pitching that has anchored this squad.
Gilbert has had quality starts in five of his past six outings. Kirby leads MLB in strike percentage, walks per nine and strikeout to walk ratio. The Mariners have won in four of the past five games in which Miller started, as the rookie has taken his ERA from 4.35 to 3.93 over that stretch.
Fans have every right to criticize the M's for their low payroll. According to spotrac.com, it was 18th in MLB this season, 21st last season and 25th in 2021. You usually have to spend to win, and though the Mariners have shelled out nine figures to Castillo, Robbie Ray and Julio Rodriguez, they haven't made the championship splash their supporters want.
But if there is one way to offset parsimony, it's with development. And given how young and promising this pitching core is, you can rest assured that some of the league's top free agents are paying attention. Perhaps this offseason is when that much-desired cash splash comes.
In the meantime, the Mariners are playing as if they are the best team in the American League and have fans wondering if this is the year that they finally reach — and perhaps even win — the World Series.
They've spent the past month-plus separating themselves in the standings — mainly because they've spent the past few years breeding some of the finest pitchers in the league.
