MacKenzie Gore


MacKenzie Evan Gore is an American professional baseball pitcher in the San Diego Padres organization.

Career

Gore attended Whiteville High School in Whiteville, North Carolina. As a junior, he was 12–1 with a 0.08 earned run average and 174 strikeouts in 88 innings pitched. During the season, he threw a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts. He led Whiteville to the 1-A state championship four years in a row, winning three, with Gore being named MVP of all three victories. During the summer 2016, he played in the Perfect Game Classic at Petco Park.
Gore committed to the East Carolina University to play college baseball. He was considered one of the top prospects for the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres with the third overall pick. He signed a rookie contract on June 23, 2017. He spent 2017 with the Arizona League Padres where he pitched in seven games, posting a 0–1 record, a 1.27 ERA, and a 0.98 WHIP in seven starts. He spent 2018 with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, going 2-5 with a 4.45 ERA in 16 starts.
Gore began 2019 with the Lake Elsinore Storm,, earning California League All-Star honors. That June, he was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. After pitching to a 7–1 record and a 1.02 ERA over 15 starts, striking out 110 batters over innings, he was promoted to the Amarillo Sod Poodles in early July. He produced a 2–1 record with a 4.15 ERA over innings for Amarillo.
At the start of 2020, MLBPipeline rated Gore as the best pitching prospect in MLB.