Okay, lemme walk you through this little project I got obsessed with yesterday. See, while scrolling through highlights, I started wondering, who’s actually playing better right this minute – Mackenzie Gore or Nick Senzel? Sounds simple? Trust me, it got messy.
First Step: The Head-Scratching Moment
So, picture me grabbing my laptop. Fired up two browser tabs. One for Gore’s recent starts, one for Senzel’s recent games. Right away, big ol’ problem smacked me in the face. How do you even compare a starting pitcher to an outfielder? It’s like asking if a hammer’s better than a screwdriver. Dumb? Maybe. But I was in it now.
I decided to focus on what they’ve done just in the last month. Forget season-long stuff, I wanted the now.
Digging In: Gore on the Mound
Started clicking through Gore’s box scores. Man, his outings are all over the place. One game, he looks like the ace everyone talks about, strikeouts flying everywhere. Next game? Can’t find the plate, gets knocked around early. Typical young pitcher stuff, but frustrating for this.
- Focused mainly on his last 4 starts.
- Checked walks – way too many sometimes. Kills him.
- Looked hard at hits allowed and how many runs scored while he was pitching.
- His strikeouts per game are genuinely impressive. Kid misses bats.
Left that tab feeling like Gore is a seesaw. Brilliant flashes mixed with “oof” moments.
Switching Gears: Hunting Senzel’s At-Bats
Hopped over to Senzel’s recent game logs. Totally different beast. No innings pitched, just line after line of what he did with the bat each game.
- Scanned his batting average for the last 20-ish games.
- Counted up how many times he actually got hits versus strikeouts or weak outs.
- Looked for extra-base hits – doubles, homers. Signs he’s really driving the ball.
- Tried seeing if he was getting on base other ways (walks? hit-by-pitch?).
Noticed something tricky – his average looked decent enough sometimes, but then I’d see 0-for-4 games sprinkled in. Consistency wasn’t jumping out. And when he hits a homer, awesome, but then he might vanish for a couple of games.
The Head-to-Head Trap
Okay, I thought, maybe see if they faced each other directly? Like, did Gore strike Senzel out? Did Senzel get a hit off Gore? Found one game where Senzel’s team played Gore’s team. Senzel got one hit off Gore. Just one. Didn’t tell me much of anything about their current form. Felt like a waste of time.
Weighing Apples & Oranges
This is where I sat back and rubbed my eyes. I had Gore: occasionally electric, occasionally messy on the mound. I had Senzel: flashes of power, but disappears at the plate too often for my liking. How do you choose?
- Gore’s job is to prevent runs. When he’s on, he dominates, and that wins games.
- Senzel’s job is to create runs. His moments can change a game instantly.
- But Gore has these blow-up innings that hurt bad.
- Senzel has games where he contributes zip.
For every good Gore start, there’s a clunker. For every Senzel homer, there’s a couple 0-fers. Neither felt consistently hot.
My End-of-Day Verdict
Honestly? Trying to crown one as “better” right now felt kinda silly. Gore, when he has his best stuff that day, can be a game-changer on the mound – more impactful than a typical Senzel game, I think. But those days aren’t every time out yet. Senzel? He can hit a homer, he can steal a base, he can make a play… but he also vanishes for stretches. I didn’t find either screaming “I’m on fire!” in a sustained way.
So what’d I conclude? Right this second? They’re both kinda inconsistent young players finding their way. Gore has higher highs as a pitcher. Senzel can pop a homer. But neither is lighting the league on fire day-in, day-out. It was messy, frustrating, and honestly, the comparison itself might be flawed. But hey, I spent the afternoon digging through stats, so I had to at least figure out something. That’s how my brain works.
