The Seattle Mariners had an exciting 2021 season.
Although the team’s quest for a playoff bid fell short, the club never quit.
There were plenty of positive developments for the Mariners along the way, and the continued emergence of Marco Gonzales was one of them.
The lefty had another solid season in 2021, and it’s probably safe to call him an integral part of Seattle’s rotation at this point.
Here’s what you need to know about him.
Gonzales’ 2021 Season At A Glance
Gonzales made 25 starts in 2021.
He wasn’t flashy by any means, but he certainly got the job done.
He pitched to a 3.96 ERA and 105 ERA+ over 143.1 innings.
BULLDOG. @MarcoGonzales_ fires his third complete game of his career. pic.twitter.com/cFgq9PspJ9
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 12, 2021
Now, here’s something that’s important to keep in mind: Gonzales isn’t an ace, and the Mariners don’t expect him to be.
If the 28-year-old can simply serve as a middle-of-the-rotation arm, then Seattle will be satisfied.
Having said that, Gonzales pitched like an ace over the final few months of the 2021 season.
His year got off to a rocky start, but over his final 15 starts, he posted a 2.83 ERA.
At one point, he had an eight-start stretch in which he pitched to a 1.95 ERA.
Needless to say, that’s impressive stuff.
Since 2018, Gonzales Has Been Incredibly Consistent
Gonzales’ time at the MLB level has already been a journey, and he’s only 29 years old.
The former first-round pick underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016 when he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Then, the Cardinals traded him to the Mariners in 2017 after he had made just one appearance for St. Louis in the aftermath of his surgery.
It took Gonzales a little while to get acclimated with Seattle after the trade, but over the past few years, he has been consistently good on a year-to-year basis.
Overall, since, 2018, he has a 3.88 ERA, 109 ERA+, and 4.12 WHIP over 99 starts.
That’s a massive sample size, and it’s really easy to live with those numbers.
Marco Gonzales, Very Crafty 89mph Sinker. 🧶 pic.twitter.com/E0nX3ckcxT
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 31, 2020
Let’s take a look at his numbers by year:
- 2018: 4.00 ERA, 102 ERA+, 3.43 FIP
- 2019: 3.99 ERA, 109 ERA+, 4.15 FIP
- 2020: 3.10 ERA, 138 ERA+, 3.32 FIP
- 2021: 3.96 ERA, 105 ERA+, 5.28 FIP
Sure, his FIP this season was a little alarming, but he has earned the benefit of the doubt.
The Gonzaga University product deserves a lot of credit for what he has been able to accomplish in recent years, and he’s likely going to be part of Seattle’s rotation for the foreseeable future as a result.
The Mariners Have Gonzales Under Club Control For Several Years
For Seattle, one of the best parts of Gonzales’ emergence is his contract situation.
He’s under club control until 2026.
With the Mariners knocking on the door of cracking the playoffs, it’s massive for the team to have this guy locked up for multiple seasons.
Seattle’s rotation is arguably just one really good arm away from being a playoff-caliber staff.
It’ll be interesting to see if the organization tries to target any of the high-profile starters that are set to become free agents this offseason.
It’s just a matter of time until the Mariners will end their 20-year postseason drought.
