Washington Nationals Potential Opening Day Starter Dazzles in Spring Debut

The Washington Nationals have not named an opening day starter yet, but one of the frontrunners pitched great in his first spring training start.

Sep 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Nationals Park. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals are still looking for somebody to take the ball for them on March 27.

Last season, Josiah Gray was the opening day starter, but he will miss a good chunk of the season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. In his absence, the Nationals will need somebody else to step up and be their ace.

MacKenzie Gore is a frontrunner to fill that role. He took the mound for the first time this spring on Saturday night against the Miami Marlins.

In the start, Gore threw three innings, allowed two hits, walked one batter and struck out four. The one walk he issued came on the first batter of the game. The left-handed pitcher had much better command during the rest of his outing.

In 2024, the 26-year-old had some control issues. Per Baseball Savant, he was in the 35th percentile in walk rate and 33rd percentile in chase rate. These struggles caused him to have an xERA 0.30 runs higher than his actual ERA.

If his first start of the spring was any indication, though, Gore might have figured out how to pound the strike zone a little bit more.

Manager Dave Martinez was well aware of how well Gore's start was.

“His stuff was crisp, which was awesome to see. The last couple of innings, it was 15 and 13 pitches. So it was awesome. He had a good day," Martinez said while speaking with Robby Blanco of MASN Sports.

Martinez knows he still needs a starter for the first game of the season, and this was the first step towards naming one.

The former first-round pick treats these preseason starts the same way he would approach a regular season start. He is going to just go out there and try to get batters out every time he takes the mound, no matter the situation.

“You want to compete. You gotta figure out what sequences are going to work and stuff like that. But we're not trying a new pitch or things like that. But look, you don't want anybody to hit. When you're in there, you're competing, just like anything. So you still gotta compete, for sure," Gore told Blanco.

Competing has never been the issue for the North Carolina native. He throws the ball hard, gets whiffs in the strike zone and he has a very good strikeout rate. Walks have always been the thing holding him back.

If he can continue to cut back on the free passes, the fourth-year pitcher will be dominant in 2025.

There are more outings to be had during spring training, but Saturday night was a good step towards earning the right to start on opening day for Gore.