SAN DIEGO–The San Diego Padres selected LHP MacKenzie Gore out of Whiteville High School in North Carolina with the third overall pick on the first day of Major League Baseball’s 2017 First-Year Player Draft.
Recommended by Padres Area Scout Nick Brannon, Gore, 18, finished his senior season 11-0 with a 0.19 ERA, two saves and 158 strikeouts against five walks over 74.1 innings pitched. In one start this past season, the 6-2, 180-pound left-hander tossed 5.0 perfect innings, striking out all 15 batters faced.
He was named the 2016-17 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year, a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game First Team All-American selection and was named to the 2017 Perfect Game Atlantic All-Region First Team. During his junior season, he posted a 0.08 ERA with 174 strikeouts in 83.1 innings pitched while hitting .465 with six home runs at the plate. He was a 2016 Perfect Game Underclass Third Team selection and was also named MVP of the state championship game as both a sophomore and freshman.
The Padres will make two more selections on the first day of the draft with the 39th and 69th overall selections. The 40-round draft will continue tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. PT with rounds 3-10 and will conclude on Wednesday, June 14, with rounds 11-40.
