SEATTLE -- Logan Gilbert still drives the black two-door Nissan Altima when he’s back home in Florida, the same one that his father bought him shortly after he obtained his driver’s license more than a decade ago. And his college pitching coach can’t stand it.

It’s not just because Gilbert earned a $3.88 million signing bonus after being selected by the Mariners in the 2018 Draft or a critique of the car’s functionality. It’s for how goofy the towering right-hander looks when driving it.

“He used to come back and throw with us in the offseason, and he would drive up in that [dang] car,” former Stetson University coach Dave Therneau said. “I would be like, ‘Logan, you’re a first-rounder. You’ve got money. Can we upgrade this thing?’ And he still had the iPhone 1. I’m like, ‘Come on, man. You’re about to be a big leaguer. Can we do something about this car and phone situation?’”

But that’s Gilbert, who despite transforming from the lanky pitcher who arrived at Stetson in 2016 to play for Therneau, hasn’t let fame impact his ego, personality or the simple things he enjoys -- even cars or phones that might seem outdated.

“He would always joke, I'd get out of the car like it was a little clown car with a big guy type of thing,” Gilbert said. “There's sentimental value there, and just like taking care of your things and just things have value when you treat them really well. And especially when somebody bought it for me, it just means a lot. But I don't know. It works for me. I don't need anything crazy.”

Therneau was the first call that Gilbert made after his wife, parents and brother once he was named an American League All-Star. And it was a conversation that almost exclusively centered on how far he’s come since their first days together. Gilbert has turned into one of the game’s top workhorses, logging a league-leading 132 1/3 innings thanks to a rigorous commitment to arm care and preparation.

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Which is a complete contrast to what he was when he began at Stetson.

“When Logan came in, he was the rawest of raw,” said Therneau, who has since moved to Embry-Riddle University. “He was a big, lanky guy. But there also wasn’t much as far as him being prepared to pitch.”

Over an extended interview, Therneau told countless stories of Gilbert’s physical maturation. One that stood out was when recalling one of the first team-building exercises at Stetson, which involved freshmen giving piggyback races around the basepaths. Gilbert, Therneau said, struggled the most.

“He was so physically weak,” Therneau said, in good-natured fashion. “But from a work ethic standpoint, it was in him from the beginning. I knew we kind of had something special on the rise, but he was so raw. He really was just a good arm and had some upside at that time.”

Gilbert went on to pitch for three seasons at Stetson. He won Pitcher of the Year honors in the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2017 and ‘18 while compiling a 2.38 ERA over 52 outings (33 starts), which ranks second in program history. He’s already in the school’s Hall of Fame, and among notable alumni, Gilbert joined Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber as the only pitchers to become All-Stars. Both are also Cy Young Award winners, an achievement that might not be out of Gilbert’s future.

Gilbert has blossomed into one of the game’s very best commodities, the type of player that franchises build their teams around -- an elite, innings-eating starter, and one who can consistently post. He’s never been on the injured list, and much of that ties back to his foundation at Stetson and Florida Baseball ARMory, one of the country’s top pitching labs and where he first reported before college. Therneau’s career was heavily impacted by Tommy John surgery in 2000, two years after he was drafted by the Reds, and he never wound up pitching in the Majors.

“[Therneau] was huge on the routine, knowing your body, knowing yourself and putting in the work to kind of earn 'start day' almost,” Gilbert said, “and then go through it all over again.”

Even though Gilbert won't be available to pitch after starting for the Mariners on Sunday, Therneau is hoping to make it to Arlington for what would be a full-circle moment. Depending on the ticket situation, he might make the 16-hour drive from Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, Fla. But he joked that his trip will probably be more comfortable than if he were in Gilbert’s two-door ride.