MacKenzie Gore

MacKenzie Gore pitches well in Saturday's intrasquad game

Padres top prospect LHP MacKenzie Gore retired six of the seven batters he faced in Saturday's intrasquad contest.

Fantasy Impact

The only baserunner he allowed was a leadoff walk to Manny Machado. Of course, it's still February and this wasn't a true game setting, but it's exciting to hear Gore pitching well. It's been well documented that he struggled with his command at the alternate training site last summer, which is why the team never called him up despite being in contention all year. "Last year, it was just so different," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said earlier this week. "You're a kid that comes in with a lot of fanfare, and rightfully so. You go to a place where you're there every day, with the same guys. You're facing the same hitters. ... Everybody looks around and expects incredible things, and you know you're not necessarily there yet. I think that impacted him a lot, but I think he's taken it in a positive way and used it to his advantage coming in here."