Do the Twins Have a New Piranha?

[Ted Schwerzler]

While Major League Baseball has decided to lock out the players and freeze big-league transactions, Minnesota has continued making minor league moves. Daniel Robertson and Tim Beckham were signed recently and could be depth fits for the 26-man roster, but what if this club already has a utility player in the form of a new piranha?

Back in 2014, the Minnesota Twins used their first-round pick, 5th overall, on Nick Gordon. Brother of Dee and son of Tom, Gordon had plenty of baseball running through his bloodlines. A speedy shortstop with a quick bat, he spent seven years in the minors before making his big league debut last season. Gordon isn’t the shiny top-100 prospect he once was, but it’s hard to look at his production last season and not see a future benefit.
 
I don’t think you’ll ever be able to make a strong argument that Gordon is a starting shortstop at the Major League level. His arm strength is questionable there, and while he has speed, that caveat also limits his range. What he can do is be a swiss army knife that allowed the organization to put him where they wanted last season. What’s also interesting is that Gordon has a track record of finding more success in year two at every given level.
 
Looking at Gordon’s Baseball-Reference page through 2019, we can see a pattern of advancement the second time through each of the upper-minors levels. His .906 OPS at Double-A Chattanooga was over 150 points higher than the year before, and that trend was repeated when he improved to the tune of 250 points at Triple-A Rochester.

 
Following the season off due to the pandemic, in which Gordon dealt with his own health issues, he returned to post a strong .774 OPS at Triple-A St. Paul. For the Twins, Gordon slashed just .240/.292/.355 (.647). That’s not a line deserving of offensive consideration, but there’s a path forward here.
 
Gordon needs to reign it in at the plate. A 39.5% chase rate and 25.9% CSW will not play with the rest of his peripherals. However, if he can follow down the established learning path and get closer to a 30% chase rate with a 16% CSW, the offensive production should be expected to level into the .750 OPS range. That becomes valuable for a guy who can also play a handful of infield positions and three outfield roles.

Baseball has changed a lot since Ron Gardenhire employed the likes of Jason Bartlett, Nick Punto, and Luis Castillo, but Gordon could fit in as a throwback to those types. His skills are speed-focused, and he can be a menace on the bases. While bunting is an art, I’m all for staying lost, he’s a guy that can probably drop them down for hits occasionally too. If Minnesota wants something they haven’t had in recent years from a utility player, the best version of Nick Gordon could give them that.

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[Dave The Dastardly]

I'm confused. You say Gordon's arm strength is questionable at short, but he can play all three outfield positions? Don't outfielders still have to make accurate throws to the cut-off man? Aren't cut-off men farther away from an outfielder than the distance between shortstop and first base? Aren't good outfielders supposed to keep base runners at first with a strong and accurate throw to second? Has baseball changed that much since I last played? I need help understanding this.

 

 

[Doctor Gast]

Gordon has surpassed my expectations in his MLB premier. I noted also that every time he started a new level, he'd have a poor 1st season then later slowly improve. I expected him have very poor rookie season and eventually become an average MLB player. Although I'm not too excited about his upside but who knows he could surprise me there too. He does have value as aTwins utility player

[chpettit19]

2 hours ago, Dave The Dastardly said:

I'm confused. You say Gordon's arm strength is questionable at short, but he can play all three outfield positions? Don't outfielders still have to make accurate throws to the cut-off man? Aren't cut-off men farther away from an outfielder than the distance between shortstop and first base? Aren't good outfielders supposed to keep base runners at first with a strong and accurate throw to second? Has baseball changed that much since I last played? I need help understanding this.

The throws are different. Competitive throws from the outfield happen far less than competitive infield throws. Most hits to the outfield are "guaranteed" singles or doubles. A strong arm can help cut down the in-the-middle outfield hits where a guy is trying to "stretch" a single or double for an extra base. Most outfield throws have enough time to allow the outfielder to get behind the ball and round it towards the base he's throwing to, or crow hop into it if he's really trying to let it fly.

Infield throws come with a player running in all different directions and having to throw against his body, spinning, falling forward, with a guy sliding into him, etc. To go deep in the hole at SS and throw across the diamond happens quite often. Cutting a ball off that's headed for center and having to spin and throw off balance, or open your shoulders with your lower half still heading to centerfield and throwing with your momentum going the opposite direction, to first in the air happens quite often. Charging slow rollers and throwing off balance to get a guy happens quite often. Gordon has the arm to take routine grounders and throw across to first. He doesn't have the arm to routinely make the other throws that come with playing SS.

[DocBauer]

I've been reminding people for a while now about his 2nd year tendencies. No reason for it to stop now, right? (Hoping). Additionally, while never exactly a hulking figure, it sure seemed last year he hadn't put any/all of the weight he lost from his bad covid experience. Here's hoping he comes in a good 15lbs heavier this season with good weight.

[The_Real_Nick_Gordon]

I whole heartedly agree what an article!!!!

[DocBauer]

2 hours ago, The_Real_Nick_Gordon said:

I whole heartedly agree what an article!!!!

I think I may see a little bias here. LOL

[miracleb]

"I've been reminding people for a while now about his 2nd year tendencies. No reason for it to stop now, right? (Hoping). Additionally, while never exactly a hulking figure, it sure seemed last year he hadn't put any/all of the weight he lost from his bad covid experience. Here's hoping he comes in a good 15lbs heavier this season with good weight."

 

OK Sid!  LOL!  According to Sid Hartmann (god love him,) Gopher basketball players would come back each year with 10 lbs of additional muscle.   After 4 years they weighed 7 lbs more than they did  as freshman!  ?

 

The issue here is the "second time through" the same level would be just fine if he were only 24 years old.  He has already passed 27 years of age which "historically" is a player's best year.........

[Karbo]

19 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

The throws are different. Competitive throws from the outfield happen far less than competitive infield throws. Most hits to the outfield are "guaranteed" singles or doubles. A strong arm can help cut down the in-the-middle outfield hits where a guy is trying to "stretch" a single or double for an extra base. Most outfield throws have enough time to allow the outfielder to get behind the ball and round it towards the base he's throwing to, or crow hop into it if he's really trying to let it fly.

Infield throws come with a player running in all different directions and having to throw against his body, spinning, falling forward, with a guy sliding into him, etc. To go deep in the hole at SS and throw across the diamond happens quite often. Cutting a ball off that's headed for center and having to spin and throw off balance, or open your shoulders with your lower half still heading to centerfield and throwing with your momentum going the opposite direction, to first in the air happens quite often. Charging slow rollers and throwing off balance to get a guy happens quite often. Gordon has the arm to take routine grounders and throw across to first. He doesn't have the arm to routinely make the other throws that come with playing SS.

OK While I agree completely with your argument about arm strength, there is something else to take into consideration IMHO. The way clubs are shifting. In the old days a ss would be making a lot of throws from deep in the hole, but these days not so many. 45 years ago when I played in college the guy with the arm was actually the 3rd baseman. The ss we had was very quick to get rid of the ball which made up for the fact his arm, though strong and accurate, wasnt as strong as the 3rd. Now it seems like 3b is at ss with the shift many times anyway.

I'm guessing arm strength is why the Twins dont want to give him a chance at ss on a regular basis, and since they have watched him through his entire career in the minors I'm sure they have a good reason. But after watching a season of an almost automatic out at the plate I sure would like to try something (not named Polanco) at short.

[EGFTShaw]

15 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I think I may see a little bias here. LOL

Could this bias comment be biased???  LOL