SAN DIEGO PADRES TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. MacKENZIE GORE, LHP
AGE: 22. B-T: L-L. HT: 6-4. WT: 197. DRAFTED: HS—Whiteville, N.C., 2017 (1st round). SIGNED BY: Nick Brannon.
TRACK RECORD: Gore led tiny Whiteville (N.C.) High to three state championships in four years and won BA’s High School Player of the Year award in 2017. The Padres drafted him third overall and signed him for a franchise-record $6.7 million. Gore’s first full season was interrupted by recurring blisters that sent him to the injured list three times, but he flourished with full health in 2019. Gore posted the lowest ERA (1.69) and WHIP (0.83) of any pitcher in the minors who threw at least 100 innings, and he entered 2020 considered arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball. Gore looked sharp in spring training, but after the coronavirus pandemic shut camps down, he arrived at summer camp in July with his delivery out of sync. He spent the season at the alternate training site smoothing that out and improved toward the end of the year.
Gore is a tall, lanky lefthander whose elite athleticism is the foundation of his success. His delivery features a lot of moving parts, including a high leg kick where he brings his knee nearly to his collarbone, but he generally has the strength and body control to repeat his mechanics. Gore explodes out of his delivery with tremendous extension that helps his stuff play up. His fastball ranges from 91-96 mph and sits 93-94. The pitch gets on hitters faster than they expect, resulting in a lot of late swings and misses in the strike zone. Gore’s 83-87 mph
