Fully healthy Cavalli, Gore ready for 1st full season with Nats

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- After right-hander Cade Cavalli and southpaw MacKenzie Gore debuted in 2022, both of their rookie seasons were cut short because of injuries. Gore made 13 starts before he was sidelined in July; Cavalli made just one before being shut down after his first big league outing in August.

This Spring Training, the young duo will have the opportunity to earn spots in the Nationals' starting rotation. With that comes a significant milestone regardless of their pitching roles -- their first full Major League seasons.

“Both those guys have tremendous ability and really good stuff,” manager Dave Martinez said. “You talk about two guys that have really good fastballs, good breaking balls, good changeups, but now it’s about repeating everything and being consistent. That’s kind of what we’re looking for this spring.”

Gore, a 2017 first-round Draft pick by the Padres, went 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 70 innings for San Diego prior to experiencing left elbow soreness. He was on the injured list when the Nationals acquired him as part of the Juan Soto and Josh Bell trade, and he remained on the IL for the remainder of the season. The 23-year-old reported to his first camp with the Nats early on Feb. 5, having already thrown multiple bullpens and BP sessions this winter.

“I can kind of do everything on the mound that I need to do,” Gore said. “It’s not dialed in right now, by any means, but my body’s strong. We should be ready to roll by the end of spring.”

Gore only spent two months with the Nationals last season after joining the team at the Trade Deadline, and Martinez is looking forward to working with him for a complete Spring Training. He noted the ball was coming out “really well” following Gore’s bullpen session on Wednesday.

“It’s more his mechanics,” Martinez said. “He cleaned up some stuff that we wanted him to. It’s all about pounding the strike zone with him. When he does that, he’s really, really, really effective. He’s got three, maybe four, plus-plus pitches.”

Cavalli, 24, has been a top pitching prospect in the Nationals organization since they drafted him in the first round in 2020. His anticipated debut on Aug. 26, in which he tossed 4 1/3 innings, was his only Major League start because of right shoulder inflammation. Cavalli returned to Spring Training this week with a locker among the veteran pitchers.

“I’m just trying to drown out the noise of it being my second big league camp, any pressure I could put on myself,” said Cavalli, who threw a bullpen session on Thursday. “I just feel like that’s fake to me. It just doesn’t put my head in a great spot, so I try to avoid that and focus on the job and the work I need to do.”

Martinez emphasizes repetition to young players, and he will look for that from Cavalli while assessing pitchers to join Patrick Corbin, Josiah Gray and Trevor Williams in the starting rotation.

“Cade’s got to come out and really show us that he can pound the strike zone and do all the things that we ask him to do and be consistent,” said Martinez. “The biggest thing with these young kids is repeating the delivery, repeating their work ethic, doing the things that they’re capable of doing to get out there every five days. There’s nothing really set in stone. Everything’s wide open.”

The early days of Spring Training can offer a glimpse into the results of Cavalli and Gore’s offseason work. As games get underway at the end of the month, Martinez and his coaching staff will gain real-time insight into their progress and potential as it pertains to the starting rotation.

“One thing that I really look for right now is just watching their mechanics, see if they’re clean, see if they’re forcing the ball out of their hand, which none of them did, which is good,” Martinez said. “Once we hone in on that, then we’ll see how they go out in competition and see what they do.”