Insider expects Mariners ace to become MLB’s top pitcher

George Kirby’s ability to throw strikes is rare even at the MLB level.

If 3B defense is lacking, Seattle Mariners have intriguing backup option

The Seattle Mariners right-hander’s pinpoint command has been on full display since he debuted in 2022. Over the past two seasons, he’s led the league in walks per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio in each time.

However, ESPN MLB insider Tim Kurkjian believes we’ve yet to see the best hard-throwing Mariners starter.

During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Thursday, Kurkjian explained why he feels Kirby will eventually become baseball’s best pitcher.

“I still expect George Kirby to become the best pitcher in the league at some point. He’s got that kind of stuff,” Kurkjian said. “I mean, it’s ridiculous how good his stuff is, and the only thing better than his stuff is his control and his command.”

To go along with his elite command, Kirby sports a four-seam fastball and sinker that average 96 mph. He also throws a slider, split-finger, knuckle curveball and cutter. He’s even broke out a knuckleball on a couple of occasions.

Kurkjian recalled a conversation he had with Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young, who pitched in the big leagues for 13 seasons, after Kirby diced up the World Series winners with seven strikeouts over six shutout innings on just 75 pitches in their 2023 season finale.

“(Young) told me that was the best pitched game that we saw all year,” Kurkjian said. “That’s who George Kirby can be when he’s at his very best.”

Kirby was an All-Star and finished eighth in American League Cy Young voting in 2023 – his first full season in the majors. In 2024, he posted a 3.53 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 179 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched. FanGraphs’ ZiPS projections predict Kirby will be the M’s most valuable pitcher this season with a 3.8 fWAR.

“As he was last year, I expect him to take another step forward and be even more dominating than he was last year,” Kurkjian said. “But you could say that about just about everyone in the rotation. That’s how loaded it is.”

‘He’s not that far off’

When CBS Sports MLB writer Matt Snyder joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, he was asked about Kurkjian’s comments on Kirby becoming the best pitcher in the league.

Snyder’s was initially skeptical about those sort of expectations, but the more he thought about, the more he could see Kurkjian’s premonition become a reality.

“My initial reaction when he started saying that was that’s a bit lofty,” Snyder said. “Then, I immediately went to (thinking) there are so many guys who get hurt and there are so many openings. There are so many guys who get so much better within one season like (Detroit Tigers ace and 2024 AL Cy Young winner Tarik) Skubal. … I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility, having thought about it.”

Snyder is also impressed by Kirby’s command, but would like to see the right-hander do a better job of expanding the zone when the situation calls for it.

“Somebody who can be effective while commanding the strike zone to that level definitely has it in him,” Snyder said. “And honestly, it might not hurt him to live a little bit more outside the strike zone and try to get guys to chase a little bit more.”

Hear the full conversation with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian here and CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder here. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Wyman and Bob from 2-6 p.m., or find the podcasts on the Seattle Sports app.

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