Cassavell Newsletter: It's time for MacKenzie Gore 

Hello! Welcome to the latest edition of the Padres Beat newsletter.

Since the Padres made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2017, there’s been anticipation for MacKenzie Gore’s big league debut. The moment Padres fans have been anxiously awaiting finally comes tonight vs. the Braves. 

3 REASONS TO BELIEVE IN MacKENZIE GORE 

MacKenzie Gore was five hours into a seven-hour drive from Arizona to El Paso earlier this week when his phone rang. A.J. Preller was on the other end.

Gore had pitched five scoreless innings in Round Rock, Texas, before flying to Arizona to pick up his car. He was driving that car from Arizona to El Paso, where he was slated to throw a bullpen session with the Triple-A team the following day. That’s when Preller rang.

“He just asked me whether I wanted to throw my bullpen in El Paso or San Francisco,” Gore said.

And, in effect, that’s how Gore learned he’d been called up to the big leagues.

Gore threw that bullpen session in San Francisco on Tuesday and will make his Major League debut against the Braves on Friday night.

Man, it’s been a long time coming.

The coolest part of Gore’s callup, in my estimation, is that he really, truly earned it. There were times last year, when the Padres were starved for pitching, where they could’ve promoted Gore as a stopgap. But Gore was struggling. His mechanics were out of whack. He was walking too many hitters. Had the Padres called him up then, it wouldn’t have been organic.

Now? It’s a different Gore. He was excellent all spring. From what I’ve heard, the Padres were likely to include Gore on their Opening Day roster before they traded for Sean Manaea. Still, Gore earned the right to be the Padres’ first callup, the minute they needed a starter.

Three quick thoughts on Gore:

1. His fastball is special. It clocks in the upper 90s in velocity with elite spin. As such, hitters often take pitches at the bottom of the zone that look like balls but end up as strikes. They swing at pitches at the top of the zone that look like strikes but end up as balls. Said catcher Austin Nola: “A lot of guys have spin. A lot of guys have velocity. But when you combine that spin and that velo, it’s a different animal.” If Gore locates the pitch, it’ll be a truly elite Major League fastball.

2. His mechanics are in sync. New pitching coach Ruben Niebla worked extensively with Gore last October and November before the lockout. They worked specifically on Gore’s landing leg and maintaining consistency in his delivery. The effects are obvious. Gore is throwing strikes with regularity. And if he’s throwing strikes … good luck.

3. This seriously looks like a different MacKenzie Gore. He’s been wholly unfazed when he runs into trouble, knowing he has the stuff to get him out of it. I thought his answer from his penultimate Cactus League outing was telling:

“You know, I just feel really prepared,” Gore said. “It was a lot of work that I had to do to get here, and a lot of work that other people did with me. It’s just been a lot of time and effort from everybody here. I just feel prepared.

“That’s everybody’s goal. Everybody wants to be as prepared as they can be. The most prepared people end up being the more confident people. And they end up looking the most calm out there.”

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD

• It should be worth noting that the Padres didn’t retaliate in the aftermath of the Giants’ purported breaking of unwritten rules earlier this week. They simply … got angry after they’d lost a game by 11. Don’t know about you, but I like it when a team gets fiery after a loss. Makes for good theater, and I expect we’ll see plenty of that during the NL West race this summer.

There was plenty of handwringing, nationally about the way the Padres responded. But what, exactly, did they do, other than voice their opinions? From what I could gauge, there were two sets of opinions within the clubhouse. A handful of players thought it wasn’t OK. One called it “unacceptable.” Others used language that was a bit more colorful. But some other players didn’t seem to mind all that much, simply noting that, hey, when they play the Giants in the future, they’ll look to run up the score right back on them in those spots.

•  On Tuesday night, Melvin declined to comment on the Giants’ stealing and bunting when ahead by nine runs. The following day, he addressed Giants manager Gabe Kapler’s declaration that the Giants would be strategically looking to pile on in blowouts.

“Nowadays, there’s two schools of thought,” Melvin said. “Neither is right or wrong. Both are passionate. You get in games, and you have an old-school philosophy, and some of those old-school lines have been blurred. But the way it was explained over there, you understand that, too.”

•  The Giants’ principle argument for running up the score is that they’d like to exhaust their opponent’s pitching staff. The Padres countered by giving right fielder Wil Myers his first career appearance on the mound. Myers’ biggest takeaway?

“It was hard to throw strikes,” said Myers, who allowed two runs, both on homers, in one inning. “Sometimes I’m in the outfield like, ‘Why can’t these guys throw strikes,’ and you know what? It’s harder than it looks.”

•  Jurickson Profar’s game-saving catch Monday night is an early contender for Padres play of the year. Then, an inning later, he was removed for defensive purposes. Profar has turned himself into, at the very least, an average defensive outfielder. Jose Azocar, meanwhile, is an excellent defender. There’s an argument to be made that Profar has earned the right to remain in the game in late-and-close situations.

I thought Melvin’s counter to that was a fascinating look at the way he views team chemistry and roster construction. Said Melvin: “Right now, everybody needs a role. [Azocar] is a true outfielder, runs really well and plays all three outfield positions well.”

•  Luke Voit picked up his first career steal in his first career attempt on Tuesday night. Voit simply got a massive jump, with Giants first baseman Brandon Belt playing behind him. He was safe, easily. Said Voit: “I think of myself as a really good baserunner. I’m just slow.”

A MINUTE WITH NICK MARTINEZ

MLB.com: What’s it been like getting back into a big league clubhouse and getting acclimated to this particular clubhouse?

Martinez: I think right away, the American clubhouse and the Japanese clubhouse is a different dynamic. It’s more loose here. A lot more going on inside the clubhouse. Whereas in Japan, the clubhouse camaraderie actually happens over dinner, going out to dinner with teammates. Here, a lot of it happens in the clubhouse, so that’s been fun, adjusting back to that. And with this group of guys, it’s just been a lot of fun, man. Everyone seems to mesh really well together.

MLB.com: How would you say you’re a different pitcher than you were the last time we saw you in the big leagues [in 2017]?

Martinez: I’m a completely different pitcher from the last time I was in the big leagues to now. I’ve matured in so many different ways, physically, mentally. I’ve gotten a clearer picture of myself, not only as a baseball player, but what type of person I am, and what really is important to me. I have my family to think about now, and to provide for.

MLB.com: Your changeup played really well in that first start [against San Francisco]. How has that changeup evolved? Because you’ve had some success with it.

Martinez: I’ve changed the grip completely, getting a better understanding of it — in the middle of 2020, then I really honed it in the offseason and used it as a weapon in 2021. It’s just been a re-gripping and a better understanding of pitch design and the metrics. I’m just creating the right spin and movement, and that, in itself, has complemented my other pitches.

MLB.com: What are you going to miss most about being in Japan?

Martinez: The people are just amazing people. Not to say they’re not amazing here, but the fans and my teammates, they’re just really, really nice people. I still talk to them every once in a while. I’ll definitely miss the food for sure. Yakiniku is my favorite. … I freakin’ love it. I’ve talked to [Yu] Darvish about good sushi places [in San Diego].

TRIVIA

Right-hander Steven Wilson earned the win in each of his first two career appearances. He was excellent in his third outing, striking out five straight Giants on Wednesday, but didn’t pick up the victory. Who is the only player in franchise history to win each of his first three appearances?

• A. Logan Allen
• B. Odrisamer Despaigne
• C. Dave Freisleben
• D. Dinelson Lamet

TRIVIA ANSWER

B: Freisleben started 3-0 after earning his callup during the 1974 season.

PADRES VIDEO VAULT

Kevin Brown’s 18-strikeout playoff game remains the highest total in franchise history. But in the regular season, that distinction belongs to Jake Peavy — who recorded 16 K’s on two separate occasions. The first of those came on May 22, 2006, in a start against Atlanta at Petco Park.

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