Logan Gilbert\u2019s incredible play at the plate in yesterday\u2019s Mariners win wasn\u2019t just a clutch moment in the game; it also underscored a fun little storyline this season, where Gilbert has gone from the worst Mariners pitcher at controlling the running game to the\u2026[checks notes, checks them again]\u2026best? That\u2019s right, after being one of the worst Mariners pitchers by Statcast\u2019s Net Bases Prevented (which sums how many bases a pitcher prevents runners from advancing with outs created on the basepaths), this year Gilbert is the best of the starting staff.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s understandable if you would have guessed Gilbert to be the worst, not the best – he and Bryce Miller (who was the worst starter last year at controlling the running game) have not only the slowest pitching pace on the team, but in the big leagues in general. Gilbert\u2019s pitch tempo of 18.6 seconds ranks in the bottom 6% of MLB, as does Miller\u2019s, and pitchers who are slower to the plate tend to leave themselves more susceptible to the running game. But Gilbert has made a concerted effort to improve in that area, and it\u2019s paying dividends, even as he himself admits he\u2019ll never be master of the pickoff.<\/p>\n
The starter who is actually the worst at controlling the running game might surprise you, though – or maybe not, if you\u2019ve been watching the 2026 Seattle Mariners closely. George Kirby\u2019s -5 Net Bases Prevented ranks not only worst on the staff, but bottom 5% in MLB.<\/p>\n
Despite being one of the quicker Mariners starters to the plate, Kirby has historically been one of the worst on staff at controlling the running game. This wasn\u2019t an issue for the 2023-24 iterations of Kirby, who steadfastly refused to issue free passes, or even 2025 Kirby, who walked more hitters but also posted a career-high strikeout percentage of 26% after coming back from an early-season shoulder injury. But the 2026 version of George Kirby is striking out the lowest percentage of hitters in his career, under 20%, while also walking the same number of hitters as his 2025 self – still well below MLB average, but not the utterly miserly raters of his 2023-4 selves. That\u2019s led to an increase of bodies on the basepaths, and when runners reach base, they take advantage.<\/p>\n
In Kirby\u2019s last start against the A\u2019s, with the A\u2019s ahead 2-0, Zack Gelof led off the fourth inning with a single. Kirby was able to retire Lawrence Butler on a flyout, but during Butler\u2019s at-bat, Gelof stole second, which set up a two-out RBI for the A\u2019s when Max Muncy singled, costing the Mariners a run. The A\u2019s were able to get another run in that inning thanks to a passed ball on catcher Cal Raleigh, and all of a sudden the A\u2019s had doubled up their lead, putting the Mariners in a hole they wouldn\u2019t be able to overcome.<\/p>\n