The Seattle Mariners have as bright of a future as any team in the American League.
Even though they barely missed the playoffs last year, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about them.
One reason the Mariners should be successful in 2024 is because of their starting pitching.
They have one of the best rotations in the AL and they are led by three Cy Young candidates.
According to Codify, the Mariners have three pitchers in the top 9 of AL Cy Young odds.
Those three pitchers are Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert.
Gerrit Cole, +500Kevin Gausman, +650Framber Valdez, +750Pablo López, +1100Luis Castillo, +1200Tarik Skubal, +1600George Kirby, +1700Dylan Cease, +2300Logan Gilbert, +2300
Yeah, Mariners have 3 of the top 9. pic.twitter.com/Ue9R6DQIbo
All three of these pitchers had very similar seasons to each other last year.
Each threw 190+ innings last year, with all of their ERA’s in the 3’s.
Also, they all made 30+ starts.
It is hard to argue with the production the Mariners got out of these three stars.
Castillo is still the leader of the rotation as the most experienced of their pitchers.
He was the only one of the three to strike out over 200 batters last year.
Even as he enters his 30s, he is still one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Gilbert (26 years old) and Kirby (25) are both young players.
Their upside is easily Cy Young award winners.
What separated Kirby from other young pitchers is that he does not walk batters.
In 320.2 career innings, he only has 41 walks.
That level of command is not something we ever see from young pitchers.
For the Mariners to get back to the playoffs in 2024, they will have to rely on their starting pitching.