Is this finally the year where MacKenzie Gore takes that next step? It looks like it might be
Before the season, I wrote that MacKenzie Gore needed to show consistency to reach his ace level ceiling. So far, Gore has done that pretty well. The southpaw has gone at least five in every start and has gone six in all but two starts. The kid gloves have finally been taken off of MacKenzie Gore.
So far in 2025, MacKenzie Gore has been a strikeout machine. He leads the MLB with 68 punch outs, 11 more than second place Zack Wheeler. This is a testament to Gore’s electric stuff. His curveball, slider, and changeup all have a whiff% above 50%. That is rare and shows how Gore can get hitters out in so many ways. Gore sets up all of those nasty secondary pitches with a tone setting mid to upper 90’s fastball.
The best part right now is that he is throwing all of these pitches for strikes. While he walked four batters yesterday, three of those came when it was pouring rain in Cincinnati. We are going to cut him some slack for that. He still managed to lock in and get out of that inning despite a slippery mound.
MacKenzie Gore appeared to be in some pain after this pitch pic.twitter.com/t7vgAKhvzO
— Baseball’s Office (@baseballsoffice) May 4, 2025
That kind of mental fortitude is something you love to see from Gore. There have been times in the past where Gore has melted down when things have not gone his way. Seeing him lock in after facing some adversity was a great thing.
After today’s start, Gore’s ERA is down to 3.33. While that is a good mark, it could get even better. A lot of Gore’s advanced metrics suggest he is getting unlucky. Gore’s FIP is at 2.72, his xFIP is at a sparkling 2.39 and his xERA is 3.09. While Gore tends to give up some hard contact when he does get hit, a .347 BABIP is still high and should come down.
Gore is striking out 13.30 hitters per nine while walking just 2.54, which is an elite ratio. It is not something you just stumble into. You have to have elite stuff and talent to strikeout that many hitters.
The key for Gore is to keep this up into June and July. Summertime has been an achilles heel for Gore over the years. In those months, Gore has ERA’s of 5.43 and 7.89. For Gore to hit his ceiling, he has to avoid hitting that summer wall which has haunted him over the years.
For now, Gore looks like he is at least a strong number 2 starter on a good team. He is an elite strikeout artist and his control has taken major steps. Gore is now going deeper into games and being asked to handle the workload of a frontline starter. The talent has never been an issue for MacKenzie Gore, but putting it all together has.
This looks like it could be the year where he puts it all together. Before the rain messed with his command, Gore was having a start reminiscent of the ones we saw from Max Scherzer over the years. It even had the solo home run we saw so often in Scherzer starts. MacKenzie Gore has all the talent in the world and it looks like this could be the year he finally becomes the frontline starter he was supposed to be. If he can avoid hitting a wall this summer, Gore will be in for a phenomenal year.