HOUSTON - It was the spring of 2016 when Stetson University pitching coach Dave Therneau instructed his pitchers to jot down a few paragraphs, describing their goals and asking what they want out of baseball.

Logan Gilbert, undrafted out of high school and not recruited by a major Division 1 program, diligently filled it out.

Therneau read it in disbelief and had to restrain himself from laughing: "I want to be a first-round draft pick."

"I couldn't believe it, he was the rawest of raw," Therneau said. "I would never say this to him, but he really didn't have it. He had nothing but an average fastball. No secondary pitches. The arm wasn't good. He was kind of scrawny."

It turns out Gilbert might have severely underestimated himself. "I guess you could say things kind of clicked for me," Gilbert told USA TODAY Sports.

Gilbert not only became the highest draft pick in Stetson history as a first-round pick, 14th overall by the Seattle Mariners - ahead of even Cy Young alumni Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber - but four years after missing his first professional season because of mononucleosis and two years after COVID-19 cost him a minor league season, he has become one of the finest young pitchers in the American League.

Gilbert, 25, has gone 6-2 with a 2.41 ERA in his first 12 starts. He has five consecutive quality starts and has given up more than three earned runs just once.

Gilbert just beat the first-place Houston Astros twice in two weeks, with the Mariners finally starting to play up to expectations. They won nine of their last 14 games and were 31/2 games out in the wild-card race entering Sunday. Certainly, they are a different team when he starts, going 8-4 in his 12 starts compared to 19-28 with anyone else.

The baseball world may be unfamiliar with Gilbert, hidden in the shadows playing alongside heralded outfielder Jarred Kelenic at every minor league stop and called up to the big leagues on the same day, but he soon could be introduced on the national stage at the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.

"We've all been talking about Logan down here," says Stetson head coach Steve Trimper. "Logan is a local hero. There's not a day that doesn't go by that this entire town, this entire university, all of the alumni, don't check out what's going on with Logan Gilbert.

"I've coached maybe 900 kids over 29 years, but he's the most genuine, down-to-earth, fierce competitor that has no ego I've ever been around. He's just the most wonderful human being you'll ever meet. This is a guy who has done everything right in his life, off the field, in the classroom, and a person."

Who else would stick around after Stetson games and help pick up discarded cups in the dugout? Who'd send in a video to welcome in Stetson's new president after he was inaugurated?

Gilbert, engaged with the wedding date set in November, spends time in the offseason by driving 45 minutes to Stetson, located in DeLand, Florida, checking up on the baseballteam, lend a helping hand, offer pitching tips, and, yes, even to pick up balls at practice.

"He's always helping out and giving back to the program," Trimper says. "I saw him no less than 15 times in the offseason. He's just a special, special dude.

"And as good as he's pitching now, you haven't seen the best of Logan, not with his work ethic. How many lightly recruited players are there in college baseball who three years later became a first-round pick, and two years later he's one of the best pitchers in baseball?

"That doesn't happen by accident."

Gilbert, 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, won't dazzle you with a particular pitch, throwing a 96-mph fastball, along with an 87-mph slider, curveball and changeup, but he keeps hitters off-balance with his funky delivery and long stride, appearing almost as if he's falling off the mound after each pitch.

He's a self-proclaimed pitching nerd who studies his peers, a fierce competitor, with a meticulous workout routine that has his teammates fatigued just watching him. He may be big, but he's so athletic that he still can do the splits. "I'm very routine-oriented, down to the last minute. I'm always trying to cook up something. I do some weird stuff."

He started throwing a water ball in the offseason, a 7-pound kickball filled with water to improve his arm strength. He worked on his off-speed pitches, developing his slider, and drastically improving his curveball. He studied deGrom in his bullpen sessions at Stetson, watched video of everyone from Astros Cy Young winner Justin Verlander to Rays flame-thrower Tyler Glasnow, and constantly worked on different grips.

"I talked to (deGrom) a couple of times, and he gave me a couple of little things here and there to try," Gilbert said. "Mostly, I just try to watch and learn as much as possible, and try to be good as I can be."

He was 11-2 with a 2.72 ERA his junior year, striking out 163 batters while walking just 25 batters, and leading Stetson to its first super regional tournament.

Now, here he is, watching movies to relax during the day he pitches, stopping at Chipotle for a steak-and-chicken burrito for lunch, and dominating big-league hitters at night. He is yielding a .211 batting average, eighth lowest in the AL, with 70 strikeouts and 22 walks.

"His continued growth, the confidence he has when he takes the mound," Mariners manager Scott Servais said last week, "is as high as anybody's in the league right now, and it should be.

"He's got great stuff, he's got a great idea of what he's doing out there, and he is super aggressive and on the attack. I love watching him pitch."

He's not going to dazzle you with an array of 102-mph fastballs. He's not going to have hitters buckling at the knees with his curve. He's not going to leave hitters screaming out of frustration.

"Everybody in today's game wants to see big velo," Trimper said, "but he has unbelievable fastball command. He pitches up in the zone better than anybody I ever coached. His release point was so far out in front that the optics looks like he's throwing a rise ball. It's really hard for hitters to catch up to it when they're up in the zone like that."

Gilbert, the AL Pitcher of the Month in April with a franchise-record low 0.40 ERA, vows to be a workhorse, and not just a dominant pitcher. He wants to throw 200 innings year after year. He wants to make at least 30 starts a year. Durability separates the greats from everyone else.

Who knows, maybe it's time for an updated letter to articulate his new goals now that he's having success in the big leagues?

"I've still got the old one, I'll be keeping that forever," Therneau said. "What he has done is unbelievable. He's a role model for what can happen with hard work and dedication.

"I can't give him enough praise, but I'll tell him, 'Hey, I remember you when you weren't any good.'"