Logan Gilbert Named Mariners Opening Day Starter -

It was announced by the Seattle Mariners that Logan Gilbert will be the Opening Day starting pitcher for their matchup against the Athletics on 27 March.

This is a huge honour for the 27-year-old, who finished second in Cy Young voting last year. In 33 starts, Gilbert would finish the year with a 3.23 ERA, a league leading 0.89 WHIP, and 4.1 fWAR.

Drafted in the first round of the 2018 draft by the Seattle Mariners, Gilbert flew up the prospect ranks, reaching The Show by 2021. Since his debut, Gilbert has been a workhorse in the Mariners rotation pitching over 180 innings in all of his full major league seasons thus far.

Gilbert will now become the first Opening Day starting pitcher for the Mariners who was drafted and developed by the organization since Félix Hernández in 2018.

Gilbert earned this nod through years of hard work and commitment to improvement, with manager Dan Wilson noting that “[Gilbert] is a tremendous talent but he’s also a guy who really pushes himself”. This quote rings especially true for Gilbert’s last two seasons where his “tinkering” led to the addition of a splitter, which has quickly become the most effective pitch in his arsenal.

When asked about what this means to him, Gilbert stated “It’s something you always dream of, it’s a really big deal. I don’t take it lightly”, followed by a remark that his initial reaction to the news which left him speechless was followed by Luis Castillo ordering him to “say something!”.

Castillo has been the Opening Day starting pitcher the past two seasons. It appears he took the news well, saying when asked about the decision, “I was happy because I’ve had three or four Opening Days and this is his first one”. There is no confirmation yet on where Castillo will slot into the rotation, however it’s likely he will take the second position.

The Mariners Opening Day contest against the Athletics is slated for a 2:10am GMT (7:10pm PST) first pitch at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington.

Featured Image Credit: Jim Rassol/USA TODAY Sports

Jake Tomasello is the Bat Flips & Nerds Mariners correspondent for 2025 who can be found across social media @RaiseTheTrident