Whiteville Native MacKenzie Gore Traded to Washington Nationals

A rather notable trade happened in Major League Baseball today, but most people won't pay much attention to one name in the deal: MacKenzie Gore.

According to multiple sources, including ESPN, the San Diego Padres are acquiring two superstars from the Washington Nationals, Juan Soto and Josh Bell. Washington is getting a package of at least six players, including MacKenzie Gore. It's being called one of the most substantial Major League Baseball deadline trades in history.

If Gore's name sounds familiar, it should. He was a stellar high school baseball player at Whiteville High School. After a high school career that saw him win MVP honors in three North Carolina state championship games, and was named the Gatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year, Gore was the No. 3 overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft in 2017.

It didn't take long for Gore to make an impression in Minor League Baseball with the Padres' affiliates. He moved through the system quickly, and made his Major League Baseball debut on April 15, 2022, against the Atlanta Braves. He earned his first win on April 20, and has been with the Padres all season long so far.

Gore has bounced back and forth between being a starter and relief pitcher for San Diego, but has remained a highly sought after prospect.

That led to today's transaction, where the Nationals, looking to start a rebuilding project, cut ties with two of their high-priced superstars in Soto and Bell. It would require the Padres to give up a couple of prime young targets, and Gore fit the profile, alongside CJ Abrams, a 21-year-old shortstop.

While Gore did recently land on the injured list, it apparently wasn't enough to deter the Nationals from wanting him to pitch in D.C. The Nationals reportedly are getting Gore, Abrams, outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood, pitcher Jarlin Susana, and another major league player who hasn't been named yet (though it is reportedly Eric Hosmer).

Soto has been a hot commodity around baseball, after he turned down what would have been the largest contract in baseball history last month. But the Nationals have the worst record in baseball and needed to move on from their expensive assets.

Let the raging debate on the best barbecue cities in America begin, and yes North Carolina cities are in the discussion!

But first, can we agree that nothing is better than a big old plate of bar-b-que (or BBQ, or barbecue, or whatever 50 other ways you want to spell it)? And if you will permit, I personally think we in North Carolina have, by far, the best Que in the country.

Our friends over at LawnStarter aimed to "solve" the great barbecue debate, and ranked the biggest U.S. cities based on 18 hallmarks of a true ’cue hub.

The criteria used examined the number of cooking teams and smokehouse per square mile, the consumer rating for both, the awards won by the teams, the number of bar-b-cue festivals held and the number of Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned events held.

"What are the key ingredients of the best BBQ city? Award-winning barbecue restaurants, experience hosting a “master-level” competition, multiple barbecue festivals, and high ratings, among others."

Below is a list of the top 10. Also included in the list are 7 North Carolina cities that made the cut. There are a couple obvious ones at the top, but it's notable that the first North Carolina city doesn't come in until number 15!

And in case you are wondering, yes Fayetteville is in the top 50 for best barbecue cities in America, along with two other North Carolina cities. Let's take a look.

Overall Score: 49.41
Access Rank: 2
Quality Rank: 6
Accolades Rank: 6
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 46.45
Access Rank: 95
Quality Rank: 18
Accolades Rank: 1
Hosting Rank: 2

Overall Score: 37.27
Access Rank: 118
Quality Rank: 45
Accolades Rank: 2
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 37.11
Access Rank: 18
Quality Rank: 71
Accolades Rank: 7
Hosting Rank: 2

Overall Score: 36.65
Access Rank: 1
Quality Rank: 39
Accolades Rank: 37
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 36.27
Access Rank: 130
Quality Rank: 3
Accolades Rank: 4
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 36.13
Access Rank: 58
Quality Rank: 111
Accolades Rank: 3
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 31.53
Access Rank: 8
Quality Rank: 59
Accolades Rank: 25
Hosting Rank: 2

Overall Score: 31.37
Access Rank: 3
Quality Rank: 54
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 30.10
Access Rank: 66
Quality Rank: 27
Accolades Rank: 8
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 28.34
Access Rank: 115
Quality Rank: 25
Accolades Rank: 10
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 21.72
Access Rank: 94
Quality Rank: 21
Accolades Rank: 56
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 20.85
Access Rank: 46
Quality Rank: 23
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 14.25
Access Rank: 61
Quality Rank: 112
Accolades Rank: 63
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 11.50
Access Rank: 160
Quality Rank: 65
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 10.07
Access Rank: 173
Quality Rank: 49
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 6.60
Access Rank: 141
Quality Rank: 164
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 48