With the 2018 MLB Draft quickly approaching, many teams are gearing up to select the player they hope can prosper and turn into a star while leading the team to a World Series title. Teams can find anything from rare gems in the later rounds to busts in the first round. In this Last Word On Baseball Draft Profile, we take an in-depth look at pitcher Logan Gilbert.
Logan Gilbert 2018 MLB Draft Profile
Gilbert comes into the draft out of Stetson University, a school that has never had a pitcher drafted in the first round. Not to mention the school has only two players that have gone in the first round ever in the draft. Those players were Bryan Snyder, who was drafted with the No. 23 pick in 2003, and Kevin Nicholson with the No. 27 pick in the 1997 draft. Their most notable alumni, however, are MLB stars in Corey Kluber and Jacob deGrom. Gilbert will more than likely hear his name called before either of these stars did when they were drafted in the 4th and 9th round of their respective drafts. Gilbert also has the ability to become as good, if not better, than these two stars.
Strengths
In the scouting report done by MLB Pipeline on Gilbert, his strongest pitch is his fastball. While his velocity took a slight hit in the spring, his fastball has still been recorded at a maximum speed of 97 mph and usually plays in the mid-90s. His changeup is also named as his best pitch by some scouts, but some say he needs to use it more often. His arm and delivery are also excellent as he throws plenty of strikes.
Weaknesses
Gilbert’s weakest pitch is easily his curveball, which at many times looks to be lacking that speed and velocity that a curveball demands from MLB pitchers. His control at times is lacking, but his delivery will eventually help in turning that trend around. As mentioned previously, his velocity as of late has not been up to par, but it is slowly getting back to where Gilbert is used to.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that Logan Gilbert will hear his name called in the first round of the draft. With his incredible delivery as well as his velocity getting back on track, his college numbers will be just the beginning. Gilbert’s sophomore year was his coming out party, as he pitched a perfect record of 10-0 with a 2.02 ERA and an astonishing 107 strikeouts. His junior year was just as impressive with an 11-1 record to go along with a 2.52 ERA and 157 strikeouts. His freshman year, Gilbert did not make many appearances, playing in just 21 games and pitching only 49.1 innings, but was still impressive. In that year, he pitched a 2.74 ERA with 43 strikeouts.
In their latest mock draft, both MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis have Gilbert being selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 14th overall selection. For the Mariners, this seems like the ideal selection. With Felix Hernandez starting to show his age, and some pieces of the rotation also gaining in age, the Mariners need more pitching prospects besides Sam Carlson. But regardless of where he goes, Gilbert has the potential to be the next great pitcher out of Stetson.
(Video courtesy of Fangraphs)
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