As the MLB season kicks underway, a hot topic revolves around elite pitching. Paul Skenes, Bryan Woo, Nolan Mclean, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jack Leiter are all young pitchers that came onto the spot and made very dominant impacts. Meanwhile, guys like Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Logan Webb and Chris Sale make major impacts on the mound for years now. However, one name that flies under the radar is Mackenzie Gore.
Selected third overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, MLB Pipeline considered Gore as a top 10 MLB prospect for multiple years. Gore debuted in 2022 with the San Diego Padres with a lot of hype surrounding him, and he showed up on the big stage. His rookie season with the Padres proved his skill level while getting his career started, where he put up a 4-4 record with a 4.50 ERA. Heading into the 2023 season, the Washington Nationals traded Gore, along with a couple other top prospects including James Wood and C.J. Abrams, in exchange for four time all-star Juan Soto. Gore played for the Nationals from 2023-2025 and his talent flashed even more after a change of scenery. Gore made his first all-star game appearance last season after a very good start. But post all-star break, Gore struggled along with the rest of the Nationals team who finished 66-96.
After not displaying full potential, the Nationals, on Jan. 22, 2026, shipped Gore off to the Texas Rangers in exchange for five Rangers prospects including their 2025 first-round pick Gavin Fien. The Rangers gave up quite a bit but for the star 27 year old, but it was more than likely worth it. So far in three starts with the Rangers Gore posts a 2-0 record with a 2.76 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched. Rangers management listed Gore as the third starter on the Rangers behind Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob DeGrom, making them potentially the best 1-2-3 in the league. Rounding out the rotation is some great young talent consisting of Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, and Jacob Latz from time to time. There is no question that the Rangers have a top rotation in the league, but the question remains who is the real number-one starter on the roster.
The American League contains a lot of pitching talent with guys like Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, and many other starters including the Seattle Mariners rotation that dominated for years. Although the challenges remain, Gore will compete and work to win his first Cy Young. Gore holds the talent and now that he surrounds himself with a great system on the Rangers, this is the year Gore will win the Cy Young in the American League.
