George Kirby Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 4" / 215 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 2/4/1998 (26)
- Experience
- 2
- College
- Elon
George Kirby Season Stats
Last 10 Games
George Kirby News
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby put up his second straight underwhelming start on Tuesday versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Over four innings, Kirby allowed eight hits and five runs. The good news is that his command was there with no walks, but he only struck out three on the evening. Kirby entered the season as a potential Top-10 option and managers will want to remain patient this early in the season. Looking forward, Kirby will look to get back on track versus the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby is still pushing to throw his knuckleball in games. He has been throwing it during flat-ground catch and usually throws a few during bullpen sessions. Kirby is obviously going to stick with his two fastballs, a slider and a splitter as his primary weapons in 2024, but we could begin to see a knuckleball every once in a while as well. It's something to keep an eye on, but it almost certainly won't have any bearing on his fantasy prospects as a top-10 starting pitcher this year. The 26-year-old reached a new level in 2023 with a 2.5 percent walk rate while also going 13-10 with a 3.35 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, just 19 walks and a career-high 172 strikeouts in 190 2/3 innings over 31 starts in his second year in the majors.
It's no secret that the Boston Red Sox are looking for starting pitching help this offseason, whether through free agency or a trade, although they're far more interested in acquiring a pitcher with multiple years of control. They approached the Seattle Mariners about young right-handers Logan Gilbert and George Kirby but were rebuffed. It's going to take a lot to get the M's to move two young starters that they are trying to build around, and it's not like Boston has a very strong farm system to pull from to begin with. It's more likely that the Red Sox will go strong after a free-agent starter like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery or Lucas Giolito. They're also in the mix with Japanese star starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but Boston is considered more of a long shot to land him to headline their starting rotation.
Batting Order
1 | J.P. Crawford |
2 | Julio Rodríguez |
3 | Cal Raleigh |
4 | Ty France |
5 | Jorge Polanco |
6 | Dylan Moore |
7 | Luke Raley |
8 | Luis Urías |
9 | Seby Zavala |
George Kirby Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | J.P. Crawford |
2 | Julio Rodríguez |
3 | Cal Raleigh |
4 | Ty France |
5 | Jorge Polanco |
6 | Dylan Moore |
7 | Luke Raley |
8 | Luis Urías |
9 | Seby Zavala |
A former first-round pick and top prospect in the Seattle Mariners farm system, starting pitcher George Kirby established himself as a model of consistency during his first full season in 2023. Kirby logged 20 quality starts out of his 31 appearances for the Mariners last year, with his microscopic 0.9 walks per nine innings leading the way in the major leagues. Overall, the 25-year-old right-hander finished with a rock-solid 3.35 ERA (3.34 FIP), 1.04 WHIP, and 172:19 K:BB across 190 2/3 innings. Kirby's command of his six-pitch arsenal is his calling card, resulting in plenty of chase, but his lack of overwhelming stuff won't lead to a high rate of whiffs and can occasionally get him hit hard. That caveat could keep him out of the top-tier range of SPs, but throwing from MLB's most pitcher-friendly ballpark in Seattle should continue to work wonders for Kirby and an M's pitching staff that ranked first in the AL in team ERA (3.74) a year ago. The first-time All-Star's ability to provide length should bode well for his chances of supplying fantasy rosters with wins and compensating for a subpar 22.7% strikeout rate, collecting 13 victories a year ago. Treat Kirby as a top-50 pick and a top-10 positional option in the fourth- or fifth-round of drafts for 2024, especially in head-to-head leagues for his dependability.