Logan Gilbert was aware of the meeting’s purpose and thought that it would provide him with an opportunity to celebrate.
Before Sunday’s series finale against the Blue Jays, which concluded a homestand at T-Mobile Park, manager Scott Servais conducted his annual team meeting to tell his players of their All-Star choices prior to the broadcast announcement.
While he was the most natural and obvious choice to represent the Mariners at the 2024 All-Star Game at Globe Life Field, Gilbert refused to be overconfident. He thought closer Andres Munoz would be a good candidate as well. And when Servais said that the team had only chosen one man for the original roster, his uneasiness increased.
“Skip kind of dragged it out a little bit and wouldn’t say the name,” Gilbert told me. “He said, ‘We got one all star, but by the way, we’re going to talk about the first half and how everything went,’ and I’m trying to find out who it is and then he eventually said it was me.”
What happened when Gilbert learned he had made the American League All-Star team?
“I think I was in shock a little bit,” Gilbert admitted. “We will have to watch the video. I’m not even sure whether I showed any emotion. I realize that’s unusual for me, but I don’t know. It’s simply a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to do this since I was a child. And I hoped it would happen eventually. And I believed I had a good opportunity this year. So I’m simply very excited.”
After being surrounded by teammates and coaches, Gilbert quickly contacted his wife and parents to tell them to start preparing a trip to Arlington, Texas.
“I just call my wife and she started screaming and my parents they got a little choked up,” Gilbert told me. “That was pretty special moment for me with how much they’ve been through with me on this entire baseball journey.”
Gilbert has made 18 starts this season, finishing 5-5 with a 2.91 ERA. In 117 2/3 innings pitched, he has struck out 108 batters and walked 24. He leads the American League in walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) with 0.918. His 14 quality starts of six or more innings pitched and three or less runs allowed rank second in the AL, trailing only Kansas City’s Seth Lugo. Gilbert has only five victories from 14 quality starts, with no decisions in seven of them and two losses. The Mariners have a 10-4 record in those games.
He averages 6.5 innings per start, the most in the AL. He also receives an average of 2.7 runs of support per nine innings while pitching in games, which is among the lowest in the MLB.
Unfortunately, Gilbert is set to throw in Anaheim on Sunday, making him ineligible for the All-Star game.
“If it’s up to me, I don’t care,” he declared. “I’ll throw it either way.” I’d love to. I’ll tell them I’m fresh, but I believe I have the last day, and those guys normally don’t throw, so we’ll see.”
Even if he does not get to throw, he plans to use the three-day event to speak with other pitchers in baseball, including Orioles starter Corbin Burnes, in order to gain guidance and identify areas for improvement.
“A lot of those guys are guys I probably looked up to the last few years or even before that,” according to him. “They are established All-Stars around the league, so picking their brains is just how I work, and it’s really fun for me, almost as a fan of the game, to be around people like that who have so much to offer. So I’m just going to try to enjoy it, learn as much as I can, and soak it all in.
Gilbert, a first-round choice (14th overall) out of Stetson University, epitomizes everything the Mariners want in terms of pitching development and continuing improvement. He turns 27 in May. He joins Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber as All-Stars chosen from the small private school.
“I didn’t even think about it,” he admitted. “Just to be mentioned alongside those guys is pretty special.” They are two of the best to have done it. They have set such a high standard. I’m content to just barely follow in their footsteps and be included with them.”
Now in his fourth year in the Major Leagues, he is still evolving as a pitcher, adding pitches to his arsenal while also tweaking the grips and forms of those offerings to counteract hitter adjustments.
The Mariners have held internal discussions about offering Gilbert a long-term agreement, but nothing has come of it. They offered him a modest extension during his debut year, but his representatives promptly declined.
He gained Super 2 status because he ranked in the top 22 percent of players with service time in his first two seasons, allowing him to become arbitration eligible a year earlier. He is earning $4.01 million this season.
The Mariners had hoped Munoz would still be selected. However, a lingering back issue and the Mariners’ problems as a whole have limited his usage in recent weeks. Gilbert felt certain that his teammate may be chosen as a replacement, possibly for him, and planned to lobby extensively.
“I’ll do everything I can,” Gilbert replied. “He’s picked me up several times. I believe that’s the least I can do for him.”
If another starting pitcher withdraws from the game, right-hander George Kirby could be called up as an alternate.
