Having faith in MacKenzie Gore
The future of the San Diego Padres could be drastically different if MacKenzie Gore becomes the pitcher we thought he could be.
For those new to this space, I am going to give you a very short background of myself as a writer. I used to write about the San Diego Chargers every day. I built up a good following doing so, but I also became the voice of negativity around the team. I eventually ended up hating them for almost everything they did, and one of the reasons I quit writing about them was that I didn’t like living in that headspace.
When I started Bandwagon Beach about a year ago, it was a chance for me to write (a thing I like to do) about the San Diego Padres, and I told myself that I would try and come at it from an angle of positivity and only give into the negativity when it was really warranted (i.e. the end of the 2021 season).
With that caveat, let’s talk about MacKenzie Gore.
The prince that was promised
Since the moment he was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, the refrain on Gore has mostly remained the same.
“He’s a hell of a pitcher but he’s going to struggle with that high leg kick.”
To that, Gore and the Padres and the fans all thumbed their noses. Screw you, we’re the experts of high leg kicks. Look at our statue out by the bullpen at Petco Park. High leg kicks are our thing. Just wait until these leg kicks are dominating in the majors once again.
And, along the way, what we probably should’ve expected to happen happened…
MacKenzie dominated for two years. He was basically unhittable in rookie ball, low A and high A. It wasn’t until he got to AA, when suddenly the hitters were able to put his fastball into the stands, that he started nibbling around the plate and everything started to fall apart.
The timing of it all
Gore started showing signs of struggle towards the end of the 2019 season. What should’ve happened then is a full spring training and a recalibration before getting back on track against AA hitters in 2020.
What actually happened is a global pandemic that halted all minor league baseball for an entire year. Instead, Gore was brought to USD to be tinkered with by coaches (partially to try and rid him of the blisters he kept developing) while getting zero game reps.
When the Padres needed more arms in the playoffs that year, Gore was left behind while Ryan Weathers got the call to go pitch against the Dodgers on national TV. The whispers started…
“Is MacKenzie Gore broken? Is he a bust? Will he ever make it to MLB?”
At that point, it was still relatively easy to have hope. Gore was going to pick up right where he left off once he could face AA hitters in 2021, right?
Shedding skin
Things didn’t go to plan. A year off from baseball and a lab full of experts had really thrown Gore off.
His high leg kick was still there…some of the time. His fastball and curveball seemed to lose their bite from when everyone had last seen them in 2019. There was a lot of talk about him being a “gamer” who would turn it on once he got into (minor league) games that mattered.
Well, that didn’t happen either. Gore really struggled with control. He more than doubled his BB/9 rate, his fastball was still getting hit hard, and his FIP tripled. There were moments last season where it felt like all hope was lost, to the point that the team took him out of games and sent him to Peoria to rebuild his mechanics.
Here’s where it’s important to remember that Gore isn’t trying to get back to the guy he was before. That guy already needed to be fixed after 2019. He’s trying to find a new MacKenzie Gore, and hoping that guy is also an elite pitcher.
Signs of Life
As much as they could, the Padres have rebuilt MacKenzie Gore’s mechanics from the ground up. I’m not an expert in these things, but here’s a very simple analysis.
First, let’s look at what Gore’s leg kick looked like before it was adjusted:
If you pause that the right moment, you can find a picture that looks like Gore’s knee is about to hit him in the face with the foot sticking up in the air. It’s an athletic feat, for sure, but that’s what makes it so difficult to repeat and be consistent with.
Now, and I know you’ll have to squint a little bit, check this one out:
Instead of his leg coming up to his face, it wraps around his body and gives him some good whiplash momentum back to the plate. It’s also a lot less athletic, and a lot more repeatable.
This is what the team, and Gore, have been working on. Here’s a closer view of his mechanics out of the stretch, if you’re interested:
Now, at the beginning of spring training is when the bullshit is flying freely, so you can feel free to ignore all of the talk around Gore and how amazing he looks until we see him in a game.
However, I did read that his fastball is touching 100mph this week, which makes him a very different pitcher than the one we were expecting.
If Gore has a fastball with that kind of heat, it’ll keep hitters off of it. If his mechanics are more consistent, that should help keep him from walking guys at the rate he was last season.
MacKenzie Gore will, without a doubt, start the season in the minor leagues. But he’ll also get some showcases in spring training, and a consistent performance in Arizona and El Paso would make him a part of the 2022 San Diego Padres rotation before long.
I, a person trying to remain positive and optimistic in this space, am rooting for that. I have faith. Because it feels better than focusing on the negatives.
I am heartened by Clevenger's comments yesterday about Niebla -- that it's not just hype, and that he really has "fixed" Gore. Also makes me hopeful about a healthy Weathers. If this team can pitch and play tight defense (Kim at SS), they can absorb the loss of Tatis.