Logan Gilbert eager to watch fellow Stetson alum Jacob deGrom up close
SEATTLE – Roughly a week into his freshman year at Stetson University in fall 2015, a young and even more gangly Logan Gilbert joined a group of his new teammates for a field trip to see a former player from the Hatters program continue his domination of major league hitters.
On Aug. 7, the crew of college players made the 2-hour drive from DeLand, Florida, to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to watch Jacob deGrom pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I think it’s the only time I’ve seen him pitch in a game,” Gilbert said.
DeGrom, who was the reigning National League Rookie of the Year and in his second year in the big leagues, was in the process of turning into one of the best starting pitchers in MLB. He came into the outing with a 10-6 record and 2.09 ERA in 20 starts. In 133⅓ innings pitched, he had struck out 135 batters with 24 walks. He’d participated in the All-Star Game.
DeGrom didn’t disappoint, pitching six innings, allowing two runs on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. He finished that season with a 14-8 record in 30 starts with a 2.54 ERA, including 205 strikeouts and 38 walks in 191 innings pitched.
On Friday night, Gilbert will get the chance to watch deGrom pitch in a game for the second time while sitting in the first base dugout. It will be deGrom’s first start since April 28, 2023.
“I’m feeling good,” deGrom said Thursday afternoon. “I’m nervous. I’m nervous before every start I’ve ever made. Once I get out there those nerves are gonna go away, and then you try to get back to what the goal is – always go out there and put up zeros.”
After signing with the Texas Rangers as a free agent before the 2022 season, deGrom made six starts before being sidelined with elbow discomfort that eventually required the second Tommy John surgery of his career. As a ninth-round pick in the 2010 draft, deGrom made six starts in the minor leagues before needing his ulnar collateral ligament replaced. He missed all of the 2011 season.
“When it happened and he had that interview and seemed pretty shaken up because he cares so much,” Gilbert said. “I know it’s been a long road back, a tough one, so it’s gonna be fun for everybody to see him back out there.”
For Gilbert, it’s a chance to see a pitcher that he grew up admiring and trying to emulate while wearing a Stetson uniform. He got a chance to meet deGrom during the lockout as the two worked out and threw bullpens on the Stetson campus. The always-curious and success-driven Gilbert watched a lot at first and started asking questions to deGrom.
The two caught up before Thursday’s game at T-Mobile Park.
“I follow a little bit of what he’s been doing,” deGrom said. “This year I haven’t really, just because the whole process that I’ve been doing. So normally, I see him in the offseason a couple times when we go to Stetson to throw. So that’s mainly our interaction. He’s a great kid and works really hard. It’s cool that we both came from Stetson.”
The Stetson alums would’ve likely started against each other on Friday had Luis Castillo not been placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain.
Gilbert was originally slotted in the rotation to pitch Friday night. But with Emerson Hancock, who will take Castillo’s spot in the rotation, scheduled to pitch on Thursday for Triple-A Tacoma, the Mariners wanted to keep him closer to a normal schedule and will have him start on Friday vs. deGrom. Instead, Gilbert will start Saturday night vs. Max Scherzer, a future Hall of Famer.
“I do wish it lined up that way just because like when do you have that chance,” Gilbert said. “You can’t ever count on it too much, so if it happens, you want to go ahead and take it. But it’s going to be fun to watch him either way. I’ll get the chance to be up close and pay attention. That’s kind of cool.”
Over parts of 10 MLB seasons, deGrom has made 215 starts, posting an 84-57 record with a 2.53 ERA. He has made four All-Star teams and won the NL Cy Young in 2017 and 2018. He finished in the top 10 voting of the award three other times. In 2018, he made 32 starts and posted a 10-9 record with a 1.70 ERA. He struck out 269 batters in 217 innings pitched with only 46 walks.
Even as successful as Gilbert has been in his young MLB career, including earning an All-Star selection this season, he isn’t even the second-best Stetson pitching alum.
Corey Kluber, who retired after last season, was also a Stetson alum. A fourth-round pick by the Padres in 2007, Kluber pitched for 13 MLB seasons, amassing a 116-77 record and 3.44 ERA in 260 starts and 11 relief appearances. He was a three-time All-Star with Cleveland and won the American League Cy Young Award twice – 2014 and 2017.
“Yeah, there’s sort of a huge drop-off after that,” Gilbert said.
Is it?
Over their first four full seasons:
Gilbert (2021-24): 117 starts, 39-29 record, 3.50 ERA, 681 ½ innings pitched, 682 strikeouts, 146 walks, 12.4 FanGraphs WAR.
deGrom (2014-17): 107 starts, 45-32 record, 2.98 ERA, 680 ⅔ innings pitched, 731 strikeouts, 176 walks, 15.5 FanGraphs WAR.
Kluber (2012-2015 and three relief appearances in 2011): 102 starts, five relief appearances, 40-35 record, 3.39 ERA, 672 ⅓ innings pitched, 709 strikeouts, 150 walks, 16.4 FanGraphs WAR.