Logan Gilbert 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: Strikeout Breakout Meets Risk

Logan Gilbert’s evolving strikeout profile and elite command give him upside in 2026, even with lingering durability and win-variance concerns.

Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) throws in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game six of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Logan Gilbert took a massive step forward in 2025 by unlocking a true swing-and-miss weapon, pushing his strikeout rate into elite territory. While injuries and inconsistent win totals muted his surface value, the underlying skills point to a pitcher trending toward another fantasy leap.

SP7 – Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners (NFBC ADP – 38)

Last season, Gilbert found his strikeout pitch, resulting in a career-best strikeout rate (11.9 – 9.5 in 2024). He won only 24% of his starts, giving him 15 wins over his last 58 games. In late April, a right forearm issue led to seven weeks on the injured list.

Gilbert struck out double-digit batters in four games (10, 10, 10, and 13). Over his first seven starts, he posted a 2.55 ERA, 0.792 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts over 35.1 innings. His right arm backed up over his following eight games (4.19 ERA, 1.140 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts over 43.0 innings). Gilbert ended the year with his season-average stats over his final 52.2 innings (3.42 ERA and 61 strikeouts).

Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) throws against the Detroit Tigers during the tenth inning during game five of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

His average fastball (95.5 mph) was down more than one mph from 2024. Gilbert’s progression in strikeouts came from a much-improved split-finger fastball (.120 BAA with 102 strikeouts). His slider (.252 BAA) has been his top usage pitch over the past two seasons (43.7% and 42.9%). Batter hit .244 off his four-seamer (.244 BAA).

Logan Gilbert 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: Over the past four seasons, Gilbert went 41-31 with a 3.39 ERA, 1.038 WHIP, and 756 strikeouts over 716.0 innings, putting him more in the SP2 range in the fantasy market. Many will be drawn to his spike in his strikeout rate, but I can’t dismiss his elbow injury last year. He checks the command box, with a higher ceiling swing-and-pitch, and Gilbert was challenging to hit in 2024 (.196 BAA). Intriguing arm, and the law of averages for wins should be on his side this year.

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3. Garrett Crochet
4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
5. Christopher Sanchez