San Diego Padres: Update On The System’s Top Pitching Prospects

MacKenzie Gore No. 1  Padres Pitching Prospect, ETA 2020, Age: 19

MacKenzie Gore is the one of the best, if not the best, pitching prospect the Padres have ever had.

Drafted third overall in last year’s June draft, Mackenzie Gore is already receiving comparisons of other lefty pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels, and Jon Lester. That is some pretty top-notch company.

Gore’s first full season hasn’t exactly been how most envisioned it. His record stands at 1-5 and has an ERA of 4.41 in fourteen starts. Experiencing what it’s like to struggle may be the best thing for his development. Gore hasn’t struggled in baseball in over five years. His senior year pitching line in high school was 158 Ks, five walks, and a 0.19 ERA.

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The toughest part of the development process for all young prospects is learning how to deal with failure. All players face failure throughout their careers, and those who are successful are the ones who learned how to not let failure bring them down. Failure is the number one factor when it comes to a player being a “bust.” No, I don’t think Gore will be a bust, but I think this is a crucial part of his development.

Repeated blister issues limited the amount of action he saw early on in 2018. However, the North Carolina native has rebounded well and is finishing the season on a positive note. Over his last ten outings, Gore has 52 strikeouts in 41 innings, including a ten strikeout performance (five innings) on July 15th.

If the lefty begins next season in Lake Elsinore, he may not be there long.

Gore still has a few more years in the minor leagues, but once he arrives in San Diego, he will certainly become a force in the rotation for years to come.