The San Diego Padres relied on nine pitchers in Thursday morning's 16-inning loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. MacKenzie Gore was not only not one of them, but it is likely he will not pitch for the big league franchise anytime soon. This would have seemed rather improbable prior to this season, as Gore was arguably the top pitching prospect in the sport, a four-pitch lefty with obvious ace upside, someone fantasy managers gobbled up to rosters sans hesitation.
Then again, I thought Gore, 22, would debut in the major leagues last season. Now it appears we will not see him in 2021, either, another frustrating reminder that pitching prospects emerge at their own occasionally glacial pace, some slower than others. Gore is currently plying his trade for the organization's rookie league affiliate in the Arizona Complex League, aiming to salvage a lost season derailed by blisters and lingering delivery issues, his future still bright, but perhaps not as bright as before.
Gore, still rostered in more than 5% of ESPN standard leagues, has thrown only 30 1/3 innings this season, missing several months of competition working at extended spring training. Even if we presume he pitches for the Padres in 2022, the dreaded innings limit figures to come into annoying play. The good news: Gore has fanned 15 over 10 1/3 innings in two rookie ball starts, so that is something. Still, it is something far from the major leagues.