Nationals Emerging Ace Among Best-Kept Secrets in Baseball This Season

The Washington Nationals have a hidden gem in their rotation, but he may not stay hidden for much longer.

Apr 2, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals are off to a bit of a slow start in 2025, but the franchise is still hopeful to turn things around. 

Coming into the year, there was a lot of excitement and optimism surrounding the team. The young core of the Nationals started to really emerge in 2024, and seeing what these players could accomplish in 2025 was the goal. 

Unfortunately, a lot of that young talent have not started the campaign out well, and it is reflected on their record. 

Washington has been building up their lineup over the last several years, both through the draft and on the trade market. 

Most of the exciting young talent resides there, but there is also some hope for some of the young pitchers as well. 

If things are going to turn around for the Nationals in 2025, it is going to take the continued development of not only their lineup, but the pitcher that they hope will be their ace as well. 

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Nationals southpaw MacKenzie Gore being one of the best-kept secrets in baseball. 

“Gore always was supposed to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. It just didn't start coming together for him until last season — in relative anonymity as the Nationals posted a sub-.440 winning percentage for the fifth consecutive year," he wrote.

While Gore might have flown under-the-radar coming into the season, he certainly has started to make a name for himself after an electric opening day performance against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The southpaw was one of the key pieces in the package that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres a couple of years ago, but hasn’t quite found his groove yet. However, the start against the Phillies showed the type of potential that he has and why the Nationals are so high on him. 

In his first start of the campaign, Gore was fantastic against one of the best lineups and teams in the league. 

While he didn’t get a win for his efforts, he totaled 13 strikeouts and allowed just one hit in six innings of work. 

Unfortunately, the left-hander was hit around a bit in his second start against the Toronto Blue Jays. In the loss, he allowed three runs in five innings, but it could have been much worse with the 11 base-runners that got on. 

Overall, there is a ton of potential for Gore and the Nationals are hoping that this is the year he starts to find consistency and takes a big step forward. 

While he did show some signs of that in 2024, there is still room for improvement. Hopefully, 2025 can be his breakout year and the southpaw makes a push for an All-Star nod.

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