Out of all the positive developments that resulted in the Seattle Mariners nearly making it to the World Series in 2025, probably the most overlooked was Gabe Speier's rise as a dominant force out of the bullpen.
And what an unlikely rise it was. Though Speier did solid work for Seattle in 2023, he entered the 2025 season with a career ERA+ of 98 and a veritable laundry list of unflattering transactions. He was a 19th-round draft pick in 2013, and he was still going back and forth between Tacoma and Seattle as recently as 2024.
Now, he's Gabe Speier… potential American hero?