The Seattle Mariners have had the most success drafting college arms in recent MLB drafts

The Mariners currently have the best starting pitching rotation in the American League, currently sporting a 3.42 ERA. Seattle’s rotation also has the best WHIP of any MLB team with a 1.05 WHIP this year. Before dominating the league, most of the M’s rotation was college pitchers. As the Mariners prepare for another MLB Draft, which begins Sunday at 4 PM PT, here’s a look back at how the Mariners used the draft to create their current starting pitching rotation.

As the rotation stands right now, four former college arms make up the Mariners starting rotation. Logan Gilbert (who was named to the 2024 All-Star game this year), George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo all pitched in college before turning pro. Each of those starting pitchers has been a key part of the Mariners’ success in 2024. Emerson Hancock, another former collegiate, has also helped with spot starts.

The Mariners selected Logan Gilbert with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Stetson University. He now headlines one of the best starting rotations in baseball, leading the team in ERA (2.94) and WHIP (0.90) (among Mariners starting pitchers with more than 10 starts). Gilbert was named to his first All-Star game due to his success in 2024.

In 2019, the Mariners selected George Kirby with the 20th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Elon University. George Kirby made the All-Star game in 2023. This year, Kirby continues to pitch well with a 3.39 ERA while walking just 11 batters in 111.2 IP.

During the 2020 and 2021 MLB Drafts, the Mariners continued to select college arms. Taking Emerson Hancock with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft out of the University of Georgia. In 2021, they drafted Bryce Miller with a fourth-round pick from Texas A&M and Bryan Woo from Cal Poly in the sixth round.

Given how effective the Mariners have been at finding good college arms and turning them into cornerstones of their starting rotation, the 2024 MLB Draft could yield more college talent. College arms to watch in this draft are East Carolina’s Trey Yesavage and University of Iowa’s Brody Brecht. Both of these pitchers could be selected in the first round of this year’s draft and could be taken by the Seattle Mariners with the 15th overall pick.