Young Washington Nationals Hurler Regaining Early Season Form

A Washington Nationals pitcher has been a bright spot despite the recent losing.

Aug 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) prepares to throw a pitch against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Nationals Park. / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

When the Washington Nationals traded star outfielder Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, they acquired a number of impressive prospects. One of them was starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, he was routinely ranked among the top prospects in baseball. He was as high as No. 5 in some outlets before the 2020 season.

Along with Gore, the Nationals also acquired shortstop CJ Abrams, who was the team’s lone All-Star representative this year, and outfielder James Wood, who made his MLB debut in July. Both have shown flashes of what made them such highly regarded prospects.

Early in the season, Gore was doing the same. The Whiteville High School product was great out of the gate as his ERA was 2.91 through May through 11 starts.

After a tough outing against the New York Mets on June 3rd, when he allowed six earned runs over 4.1 innings, a response was had. Three straight starts allowing two or fewer earned runs were recorded, as he responded just like you would want an ace to.

Unfortunately, things got ugly for Gore from that point on. His ERA got as high as 4.66 as he allowed at least three earned runs in seven out of eight starts from the end of June through the beginning of August.

Alas, that early season form the top prospect showed early in 2024 has been recaptured in recent weeks. In four out of his last five starts, he has surrendered two or fewer earned runs. The only blip on the radar was a tough outing against the Philadelphia Phillies, who he allowed five earned runs against over 5.2 innings.

What has led to the improvement in production? His control has been pinpointed, as he has only only four walks over his last four starts. Along with his accuracy, he is throwing the ball harder as his fastball velocity is up.

In his last outing against the Miami Marlins, he was perfect through 5.1 innings. The Marlins put pressure on him but he was able to navigate it successfully, allowing only one run through six strong innings with nine strikeouts.

Ending the season on a high note would be great for Washington and Gore. His ceiling is much higher than the other young pitchers in the rotation, as he has ace qualities. 

Turning only 26 years old in February, the 2025 season could be a true breakout for the former top pick if he can perform at a consistent level.