The Mariners have also signed ninth-round pick outfielder Keegan McGovern and 24th-round pick left-handed pitcher Benjamin Onyshko
On his first official day as a member of the Mariners’ organization, Logan Gilbert will get to see packed Safeco Field, featuring two teams that seemed headed for the postseason and a stunning baseball environment that will definitely offer plenty of motivation to begin his journey in professional baseball as the Mariners’ first-round draft pick from the recent Major League Baseball Draft
On Saturday, the Mariners announced they had signed the hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, who was selected 14th overall, to his professional contract. Gilbert hung out on the field during batting practice, met with the media and was announced and put on the big screen during the game.
“Just imagining being out there in a couple years, it was pretty cool,” he said. “I’m ready to get to work. I’m excited to get to Everett and hopefully get to throw a little bit. And hopefully work my way up over the next few years.”
Following the club policy, the Mariners didn’t release the terms of the deal. But multiple outlets reported that Gilbert signed for $3,883,800, which is the slot value of the 14th pick.
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“It all hits you once you sign the papers,” Gilbert said. “There’s so much that goes into this. So many years of hard work. So once it happens, it’s pretty special.”
The plan is for Gilbert to join short-season Everett on Sunday.
However, given his workload this season at Stetson University, Gilbert won’t be throwing too many innings with Aqua Sox.
“He’s been pretty much a workhorse at Stetson,” said Mariners amateur scouting director Scott Hunter. “He started his first live game, an intrasquad game, in January. So he’s pretty much at his innings limit. We’ll get him in the program of working every five days. If he throws a few innings this summer, it’ll be icing on the cake. But it’s not like it’s going to be a heavy workload whatsoever. We’re about getting him ready for our (high-performance) camp in the fall.”
Gilbert, 21, was named ASUN (Atlantic Sun Conference) Pitcher of the Year and received ASUN 1st-Team All-Conference honors in 2017. He posted an 11-2 record with a 2.72 ERA (34 earned runs in 112 1/3 innings pitched) with 163 strikeouts and 25 walks in 16 starts for Stetson University. The 163 strikeouts led all of NCAA Division I baseball.
He received All-America honors from both Perfect Game (third team) and Collegiate Baseball (second team), and was selected preseason All-America by Collegiate Baseball (second team) and Perfect Game (first team) prior to his junior year in 2018.
Listed at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Gilbert is an imposing presence on the mound. In three seasons with Stetson, he posted a 23-3 record with a 2.48 ERA (69 earned runs in 250 2/3 innings pitched ) with 313 strikeouts and 77 walks in 52 games (33 starts).
He didn’t feel quite so imposing standing around some of the big league players and seeing their size and strength.
“It hits you when you are out there next to them and there are not a ton of people who I run into who are my size, I guess,” he said. “But about half the team down there was.”
Besides Gilbert, the Mariners also signed ninth-round pick outfielder Keegan McGovern out of Georgia and 24th-round pick left-handed pitcher Benjamin Onyshko, who was a teammate of Gilbert at Stetson. In all, 32 of the Mariners 40 draft picks have signed contracts. The 32 signings include nine of the top 10 selections and 28 of the top 30.
Seattle’s third-round pick, catcher Cal Raleight out of Florida State, remains unsigned.
All Major League teams have until July 6, 2018 (2:00 p.m. PT) to sign drafted players with remaining college eligibility.