Nationals Ace Powers His Way Into Pitcher Power Rankings After Stellar Start

The Washington Nationals may not have what it takes to contend for a playoff berth this season, but they are not far off and can play spoiler to those who are right there.

The young core they have assembled over the last few years is coming into their own at the Major League level and quickly becoming household names in the process. No player on the roster may fit into that category as well as the team's ace, MacKenzie Gore.

Gore, 26, came to the Nationals as part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres. Now in his fourth year at the Major League level, it seems as if the lefty has figured things out, as he is pitching at a level never seen from him before.

Through his first eight starts, Gore has pitched to a 3.33 ERA across 46 innings with a Major League-leading 68 strikeouts and a 123 ERA+. This success has found the overpowering lefty in the most recent edition of MLB's pitcher power rankings.

MacKenzie Gore Ranks 10th in Latest Pitcher Power Rankings

It has been a long road to this point for Gore, with a lot of steps forward in his development. But that development now finds the young stud tied for 10th with Philadelphia Phillies' starter Jesus Luzardo.

"This is the version of Gore that was expected when he was selected third overall in the 2017 Draft by the Padres and became a consensus top-10 prospect," writes Andrew Simon of MLB.com. "The lefty’s pro career has been far from a smooth ride, but after showing improvement over his first few big league seasons, Gore seems to be in full-on breakout mode at age 26."

Along with leading the Majors in strikeouts, Gore carries an insane 36.4% K-rate, mostly thanks to his devastating curveball. The offering carries a whiff rate of 53% and has accounted for 26 of the lefty's strikeouts this year.

Gore becoming the ace the Nationals needed is a massive step the team needed for the future. Should he keep up this form over a full season, and for the foreseeable future, the sky is the limit for the amount of hardware he can bring home.