PEORIA, Ariz. -- ‘Tis the season to tinker, and so many among the Mariners’ pitching staff are working on new weapons this spring that it’s almost hard to keep track.\n\nMany of the new pitches that guys are throwing aren’t immediately deciphered until Statcast’s team can get into the plumbing of the data and sort it out. So until then, we went asking for more specifics.
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* Raleigh's first spring blast powers Mariners past Guardians
“If you have eight pitches, it starts getting more difficult to keep them all separate,” Gilbert said. “You want them to tunnel, but you don't want them to blend.”
\n\n\nLogan Gilbert has been working on a curveball this spring that is more of a "downer" and "takes away the hump," he said -- essentially one that is more straight to the plate then bottoms out below the zone. pic.twitter.com/EiNKy0gQes
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) March 3, 2025
Gilbert also hinted that he’s working on another variation of a fastball after toying with a “splinker” last season, but he’s been more mum on details.\n\n“It's a version of a sinker that was really good in the bullpen, and then I didn't throw a strike with it in the game,” Gilbert said. “So we're getting there. Baby steps.”
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\n\n\nGeorge Kirby's New Cutter. pic.twitter.com/9NugusXWu5
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 26, 2025
Lefties had a .725 OPS against Kirby last year and saw most of their success against his offspeed, specifically against the splitter (.275 batting average), slider (.266) and knuckle curveball (.341). The cutter, when executed, can jam them for more whiffs or weak contact.\n\n“I just think three heaters is better than two,” said Kirby, who famously added a two-seam fastball midway through his rookie year with guidance from former teammate Robbie Ray.
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