After a dominant high school career that included Gatorade National Player of the Year honors as a senior, MacKenzie Gore is quickly living up to the hype in his professional debut.
Gore, San Diego's top prospect and No. 29 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100, set a career high on Tuesday as he recorded seven strikeouts over four innings in Rookie Arizona League action. He allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk in the outing while generating another four outs via ground balls.
Gore has dazzled this summer over six starts in the Arizona League, with the 18-year-old left-hander logging four scoreless performances en route to a 0.90 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. He's posted 31 strikeouts in 20 innings (14.0 strikeouts-per-nine innings), scattering 13 hits and four walks.
Many teams viewed Gore as the top prospect in his class. The Padres were one of them, and they were thrilled to secure the precocious southpaw's future with a $6.7 million signing bonus after selecting him with the No. 3 overall pick.
As a Whiteville (N.C.) High junior, Gore went 12-1 with a 0.08 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings. He was equally impressive this past spring, posting an 11-0 record with a 0.19 ERA and a 158-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 74 1/3 innings.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Tuesday
• After requiring extra innings to extend his hitting streak on Monday, No. 56 overall prospect Scott Kingery (Phillies' No. 3) got his hit out of the way early Tuesday as he knocked a leadoff double to extend his streak to 20 games. The 23-year-old second baseman has hit safely in 46 of his 50 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley while slashing .311/.345/.495.

MILB Video - Title: Kingery extends hit streak - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1761153383

• No. 77 overall prospect Taylor Trammell (Reds' No. 3) went 2-for-5 with a home run, a triple and a career-high five RBIs for Class A Dayton. It was the fourth multi-hit performance in seven games for the 19-year-old outfielder, who's batting .357 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and six stolen bases during that stretch. Overall, Trammell has produced a .284 average with 45 extra-base hits (12 home runs) and 38 stolen bases over 118 games in his full-season debut. Pacing Dayton on the mound, right-hander Tony Santillan (No. 14) allowed one hit while striking out four over five scoreless innings to notch the win.

MILB Video - Title: Trammell bashes one out - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1760400183

• Angels No. 2 prospect Jahmai Jones went 4-for-5 with a triple, three runs scored and a stolen base for Class A Advanced Inland Empire as he extended his hitting streak to 24 games, the longest this season in the California League. The 20-year-old center fielder is batting .362 with 16 extra-base hits and nine steals in 31 games with the 66ers.
• Orioles No. 5 prospect Cedric Mullins robbed a home run with a spectacular catch in the second inning before connecting on a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth in Double-A Bowie's extra-inning loss against Reading. Also homering for the Baysox was D.J. Stewart (No. 18), as he delivered a key three-run blast in the eighth inning and then added a solo shot in the 10th to finish 2-for-5 with four RBIs. Mullins and Stewart have hit 12 and 19 home runs this season, respectively.

MILB Video - Title: Mullins robs Zumata of homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1760491283

• Blue Jays No. 5 prospect Teoscar Hernandez piled up 12 total bases for Triple-A Buffalo behind a 4-for-5 performance that included two home runs and a triple. It was the third multi-homer game this season for the 24-year-old outfielder, whom Toronto acquired from the Astros at the Trade Deadline in the Francisco Liriano deal.

MILB Video - Title: Hernandez hits second dinger - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1760706183

• Orioles No. 7 prospect Hunter Harvey, 22, took another step forward in his return from Tommy John surgery as he fired three hitless frames for Class A Delmarva. He issued one walk and struck out four while throwing 29 of his 41 pitches for strikes. The right-hander has now made five rehab starts across three levels without allowing a run. He's posted 20 strikeouts against four walks in that span while allowing just seven hits.
• Nationals No. 14 prospect Raudy Read continued his recent power surge as he hit his 17th home run in a 2-for-4 effort for Double-A Harrisburg. The 23-year-old backstop has been on an absolute tear at the plate in August, slashing .338/.408/.662 with seven homers, 13 runs scored and 13 RBIs in 18 games. Jose Marmolejos (No. 19) also turned in a big offensive performance, going 3-for-5 with a solo homer while finishing a double shy of hitting for the cycle.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Marmolejos launches homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1761400683

• Make it back-to-back games with three extra-base hits for D-backs No. 16 prospect Daulton Varsho. The left-handed-hitting catcher went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple for Class A Short Season Hillsboro on Tuesday, one day after he connected on two home runs and a double. He's hitting .315 in his pro debut, with 23 extra-base hits and 33 RBIs over 42 games.
• Royals No. 30 prospect Chris Devito collected three extra-base hits and five RBIs in a perfect 4-for-4 night at the plate for Class A Advanced Wilmington. The 22-year-old first baseman hit a pair of doubles as well as a three-run homer, his 20th this season and ninth with Wilmington. An eighth-round pick in 2016, Devito has produced a .274/.317/.478 batting line with 53 extra-base hits and 86 RBIs in his first full season.