A's holding pair of aces

The Philadelphia Athletics rebuilding program is still in its infancy. The club is off to an 0-4 start despite battling each of their opponents tough during the first round of Divisional play in April of 2023.

For the most part, inconsistencies in the offensive attack have cost the A's to this point. There have been opportunities to win each week, but the young hitters have simply not produced enough to push them over the top.

Despite some juggling and a few trades that have thinned the ranks, it has been the work of the pitching staff that has kept the club competitive most weeks. Leading the way have been a pair of youngsters, one righty and one southpaw, whom the Athletics hope will grow into a pair of true aces for them to build around in the coming months and years.

The right-hander is 25-year-old George Kirby, the organization's second round pick in the 2019 WFBL Minors Draft. A native of Rye, New York who came out of Elon University, Kirby is the rare Athletics homegrown pitching product. He made his big-league and WFBL debut last year.

In 2022, Kirby threw 50 innings across 10 starts for the Athletics, allowing just 39 hits with 47 strikeouts while winning three games and producing four Quality Starts with a 2.52 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.

So far this year, Kirby has four starts under his belt. Over 22.2 innings he has allowed 23 hits with a 17/1 K:BB ratio, winning twice. His 3.57 ERA belies a 2.79 FIP, and the righty has fashioned a typically strong 1.059 WHIP mark.

“I believe in myself. I know I can throw all my pitches for strikes," said Kirby. "I don’t get discouraged if I throw a ball; I’m just going to go right back and attack them in the zone.” 

The left-hander is 24-year-old MacKenzie Gore. He was Alabama's first round Minors Draft selection out of a North Carolina high school all the way back in 2017. Athletics GM Matt Veasey had coveted Gore for years, and was finally able to pry him loose in a trade during the 2022 Winter Meetings after the lefty had struggled mightily.

"We always believed despite some growing pains that MacKenzie had special talent," said Veasey. "Mark Prior, our pitching coach, believed that if we could get him here and into our program, and if he could stay healthy, that he would produce big things. So far, so good."

Gore made four starts with the Owens Division pennant-winning club in 2022, just one of the Quality Start variety. He allowed 19 hits across 20 innings with 21 strikeouts, producing a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.

This year, Gore has surrendered just 15 hits over 21 innings across his first four outings. The lefty has a 25/14 K:BB ratio and sports a 3.43 ERA and 1.381 WHIP mark. 

“The fastball has been good,” said Gore. “I’ve got some offspeed. I've even thrown some good changeups of late. We’ve got four pitches right now, which is hard to hit when the guy’s got four pitches. So I’ve just got to continue to work and figure out how to get ahead of guys, and good things happen when I’m ahead of guys.” 

Three of Kirby's and two of Gore's appearances have resulted in Quality Start efforts to this point. "These young guys have all the talent in the world," said manager Mark DeRosa. "We plan on leaning on them as our top starters all season long. Hopefully well into the future. They're both special, special young men. Both exhibit the combination of poise and passion that make them leaders out on the hill and in our clubhouse."

Kirby and Gore. A pair of young, talented starting pitchers. One righty, one lefty. The Athletics appear to have a pair of aces, and will now be looking to draw a couple more in the coming months and years.