Marco Gonzales put the American League on notice this season. The lanky left-hander was acquired by Seattle mid-way through 2017, making stops with 5 clubs at 3 different levels across the Mariners and Cardinals organizations while working his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2016. But Gonzales took a big step forward in 2018, going 13–9 with a 4.00 ERA while ranking 2nd on the club in starts (29) and innings pitched (166.2).

His 166.2 innings were his most for a full season at any level of his professional career. Gonzales, who makes his home in Seattle during the offseason, was 1 of 7 left-handers this season to earn at least 13 wins while working 165.0-or-more innings. He was joined by fellow southpaws Kyle Freeland, J.A. Happ, Jon Lester, David Price, José Quintana and Blake Snell.

Among AL leaders, Gonzales ranked 4th in walk-per-9.0-innings (1.73), 18th in ERA (4.00), 18th in WHIP (1.22) and 25th in innings (166.2).

Following 5 scoreless frames in his last outing of the season on Sept. 27 vs. Texas, Mariners manager Scott Servais praised Gonzales’ development.

“From the pitch development, pitch sequencing, understanding situations, knowing when to dial it up when he gets deeper in ballgames, it’s been the whole package,” Servais said. “Really excited for him, proud of him. You come to a new team, you struggle a little bit last year, but you really can see the type of competitor he is. When he’s healthy, really good stuff.”

Finishing Strong

Gonzales put together a stellar month of September after being charged with 4 losses in August and being placed on the disabled list on Aug. 27. He went 1–0 with a 1.71 ERA in 4 starts in the season’s final month. Among pitchers with 20.0 innings pitched in September, his 1.71 ERA was 12th-best in the Majors. Gonzales worked at least 5.0 innings in each of his 4 September starts, while allowing 1-or-fewer runs in 3 of 4 outings, 4-or-fewer hits in 3 of 4 and 1-or-fewer-walks in 3 of 4.

“To finish off like he did says a lot about him,” Servais said. “That’s who he is. He’s a guy who has come into his own this year and we’re going to continue to rely on him heavily going forward.”

As Gonzales spoke to reporters after his last start, he emphasized the progress he made this season.

“Being able to put together a couple quality starts and finish strong, stick to the process, stick to the routine that I’ve built up and kind of developed this year, yeah I’m really, really pleased,” he said. I’m proud of the work we’ve put in this season.”

Controlling the Zone

Gonzales attacked the strike zone throughout the 2018 campaign, ranking 4th in the AL in walk-per-9.0-innings (1.73). He issued 1-or-fewer walks in 20 of his 29 starts, tied with Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw for 8th-most such starts in the Majors. His 32 walks were tied for 3rd-fewest among Mariners pitchers with at least 150.0 innings pitched in a season.

The product of Gonzaga University issued only 3 free passes against left-handed batters, tied with Chris Sale and Alex Wood for 2nd-fewest among Major League pitchers with 150.0 innings of work.

2018 Notes

Gonzales recorded his first career complete game on June 29 vs. Kansas City. He came within 1 out of a shutout but gave up a 2-out, RBI-single to Mike Moustakas. After allowing a leadoff single to begin the game, he retired 22-of-26 batters faced, scattering 6 hits while striking out 7 in 9.0 innings of work.

From May 23 — July 29, Gonzales went 9–2 with a 2.61 ERA with 68 strikeouts and 16 walks in 12 starts. During this span, 9 of his 12 outings were quality starts. He worked at least 6.0 innings in 11 of those 12 starts, including 4 outings of 7-plus frames. He allowed 2-or-fewer runs in 9 of those 12 starts, including 2 scoreless outings.

Gonzales led the American League with 7 pickoffs, trailing only San Diego’s Eric Lauer (10) for the Major League lead. His 7 pickoffs tied for 9th-most in single-season club history and were the most since John Halama had 10 pickoffs in 2000.

He made 4 starts in which the Mariners recorded a team shutout, tied for the 2nd-most such starts in the American League. Gonzales was tied with 7 other AL pitchers — including Justin Verlander and Blake Snell — while trailing only Corey Kluber and David Price, who each made 5 starts in team shutouts.