Padres Take Uniquely Talented MacKenzie Gore

As a North Carolina high school lefthander, MacKenzie Gore’s mound sensibilities gravitated toward another Tar Heel State alum: Madisom Bumgarner, the Giants’ 10th overall selection a decade ago.

“Just the way he competes and wants the ball in the biggest games,” Gore said in a conference call after the Padres selected him third overall. “I really like him, his competitiveness.”

Gore—who met Bumgarner last fall—did well in big games himself at Whiteville (N.C.) High, his own brand of competitiveness emerging en route to spinning a playoff no-hitter as a freshman. Three years later, the 18-year-old Gore finished his senior year as a three-time state champion and the Gatorade national baseball player of the year, an award previously won by the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers Jr.

Gore went 11-0, 0.19 and a 158-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 74.1, but that tells only part of his story.

He added 15 pounds in the weight room last fall, allowing him to add a few ticks to his low- to mid-90s fastball. Gore complements it with three pitches—curveball, slider and changeup—that project as above-average offerings.

“The group of scouts we have, especially some of the veteran guys, we felt like he was as talented as any lefthanded high school pitching prospect that we’ve seen over the course of the last 10 years,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller said. “I think he stacks up pretty favorably to really anybody that we’ve seen in the high school ranks. It’s a combination of athleticism, the ability to repeat, competitiveness, stuff and command. He’s a guy who has ‘now’ command.”

The Padres had their pick between Gore, two-way phenom Brendan McKay and Vanderbilt ace Kyle Wright with the third pick, their highest since selecting Donavan Tate in 2009.

A high leg kick up to his shoulders, in the Padres’ view, isn’t all that set Gore apart in the 2017 draft class.

“When we saw we had the chance to select MacKenzie,” Preller said, “it was exciting. He’s a guy who excites you, excites you when you see him pitch, excites you when you talk to him. It’s just the way he competes.”