The Uncertain Future Of Nick Gordon

Naw, they have Ehire for that. I think he gets moved this off season with a couple of other prospects  for pitching 

What are the chances the Twins think the current makeup of Polanco at short and Sano at third is simply too ugly?  I doubt they are going to get any of the premium starters on the FA market, so it stands to reason is the best way to make our pitching better is to focus on defense..

I wonder if its time to move Sano to first/DH and if we are going to let Polanco stay at short, we could have Gordon split time at second while having him backup Polanco.  Luis Arráez has the better part of a season's worth of experience at third base and afaict, looked decent there for the Twins this past year.  

If we "sell" on him this winter, we will be selling low. That is never a good idea. The return won't be worth it. 

I always thought with the old coaches that they held players back just to keep them at the lower salary longer.  I think they should bring him up and let him succeed or fail and then move on.

I still like Nick Gordon. It was a tough break for him the injuries this year, because he was playing well and now Arraez has jumped past him on the charts. he's still a guy who has real value and while I'm not opposed to trading him, I don't think this is the offseason to do it, because I expect us to get low-balled on him from everyone.

If you love Arraez, you shouldn't hate on Gordon. At age 21 in AA, who hit better? It was actually Gordon. Who hit better at age 22 in AA? Again...it was Gordon. Gordon has more pop in his bat, Arraez has the advantage of never having had a down year adjusting to a level and didn't get injured at the wrong time. Neither are defensive stalwarts. Both are going to hit for average. Arraez is a bit younger.

I'd much rather have Gordon on the roster as the possible replacement for Adrianza or as the first call up from AAA for a middle infielder in case of injury then getting an underwhelming return as a throw-in. His player profile has real value, but I think his perceived value around the league is disastrously low and I'm not ok with the concept of "eh, Arraez has passed him so let's move on for whatever bag of balls someone wants to give us".

 

We are talking about a guy who has fallen apart the second half of every single season as a pro.  Counting on Gordon as a full time piece makes no sense if you want to compete.  The Twins need pitching more than they need Gordon.

Not sure a leg bruise from a hit by pitch counts as falling apart. He ended July on a tear, and then his season was pretty much done. He hit .323 over his last 15 games. 

Marwin and Ehire are short term players, both into their 30s. Having some young, quality depth in the upper minors is not a bad thing.

I am also on board with keeping Gordon.  We can let Schoop go and he can fill the role Arraez was used for this year and like others have said replace adrianza in the future.  I loved that the 2019 twins actually had depth.  In years past we had no depth and one injury would put a AAA journey man in our lineup.  This year we were able to manage more injuries because we actually had MLB quality players on our bench and even a few that could step in from AAA. 

I have had the “luxury “ of watching Nick Gordon over the last two seasons in Rochester. I am afraid that he was a wasted #4 pick! He is a mediocre shortstop at best - and rarely ever gets his uni dirty by diving for a hard grounder within reach. His arm is nothing special and is more suited for 2B. I am surprised he grew up in a baseball family as he does NOT have baseball smarts or intuitiveness. Having said that , he was improved in 2019 with the bat, but I view him as a Mlb utility player, at best. He’s no Schoop, Arraez or even Adrianza. If the Twins can get a Mid Teens pitching prospect for him, they would be doing well. I see him packaged this Winter as I doubt he hits close to .300 again.

I think this FO has proved it won't sell minor leagues low. They don't make trades if they think they are selling low, I think that has been proven.

I don't get the we should keep him just because, I am pretty sure we be what is said about the top 20 Twins prospects and my question is how do you get better pitchers with out giving something up?

I'm not sure what his worth in a trade would be, unless combined with other assets.

Right now, I see him battling Ehire for the reserve position. Or, at the least, the Twins can still keep him at Rochester as the backup if something happens to Polanco or Arraez in 2020 and hopefully see his numbers rise even more at AAA and be part of a mid-season package. As that extra infielder on the 40-man, to you see jettisoning him, or keeping Torreyes?

Either way, he is still a part of the Twins 40-man roster for at least one more season. He is still a prospect to watch. He jsut has to stay healthy.

His defense is his positive and the Twins have a lack of defensively capable infielders as mentioned before.

I think I remember Levine specifically stating that they thought his bat was MLB ready, but his glove was where they wanted to see more improvement.  This was after his AA breakout in 2018.  The glove and conditioning/health seem to be what's actually holding him back.

If defense is what you're looking for, Gordon appears to be a major downgrade from Adrianza.

Have the Phillies called up Aaron Nola yet? ... oh wait.

Is that Trea Turner hitting leadoff for the team that's up 2-0 in the WS?  I need to go check my glasses to be sure.

Speaking of infield defense .... Matt Chapman sure looks good at the hot corner!

Coming of his first "full" season at AAA, (yes, injuries shortened his year), with quality numbers, he remains an "intriguing" prospect for the Twins and other organizations. He is no longer a headline prospect, but I dare say he is much better than some throw in option. He appears to be a late, not old, developer who brings a lot, potentially, to the table. Probably not a star, but a potential starter of good quality, he could provide solid defense at two positions, with a decent bat, some OB and contact, combined with speed and some pop.

I sure wouldn't mind having him. He reminds me a bit of Adrianza and Escobar. Remember, Adrianza produced fairly well in milb but was a glove first player, and Escobar was similar. Late bloomers have a place, either as quality role players or potential starters.

If not traded, I feel Gordon will play for the Twins in 2020 at some point. The skill set is there. At some point, he may replace Adrianza, or could be the next Marwin. Hard to say.

2020 could be his make or break season.

You said it all before I could say it. 

If I was a MLB FA pitcher and someone offered me a chance to pitch in front of the Twins IF, and frankly their catchers, I would have to give serious thought to the wisdom of that idea. Oh they can hit, but that is one awful looking IF. It's almost inconceivable that this orginisation cannot draft and develop a SS who doesn't need his offensive prowess to justify his playing that position?

I highly doubt he will ever make it to the majors. Another "can't miss prospect" that should have been dealt while he had value.

The best value the Twins can get from Gordon for next season is as a trading chip in a package towards a starting pitcher this offseason.  

 

We are talking about a guy who has fallen apart the second half of every single season as a pro.  Counting on Gordon as a full time piece makes no sense if you want to compete.  The Twins need pitching more than they need Gordon.

I watched him in rochester every game in 2019. After a disastrous AAA season in 2018 where his BA dropped consistently from June thru August....hitting a low of .205...he bounced back nicely in 2019. He hit .348 in July, with an OBP of .402 and OPS of .937. That is hardly falling apart. In fact he was gaining steam when he hit a foul off his ankle and that finished his season. His final BA was .298. He led the team in steals with 14 and he cut down on his k's. His 'd' was all over the place. From the spectacular plays that earned him standing 'O's' to booting routine grounders. A work in progress.

He was on the fast track until Arraez showed up. Twins may very well use him to get pitching, because at the moment his way is blocked. But if they hang on to him, he may eventually earn a spot. If he stays, I see him starting in rochester in 2020. We all figured he was going to be a bust after 2018, but not the case.

I also am a season ticket holder at Frontier Field in Rochester - and I concede Nick was much better in 2019 than the previous year. But I never saw him make a spectacular play in the field, and his hands/arm are not SS worthy. He was not a leader on the team and I would have much rather had Jake Cave, Astudillo (when there) , Zander Weil, Thomas Telis , Lamont Wade or even Drew Maggi up in a clutch situation. I see that we don’t agree on his future, but hope that you are right.

Trade value he'd bring back right now would likely not be worth it.

Need to keep him and see what happens. Hopefully he tears up AAA out of the gates and then we can sell higher or sell an MLB to make room.

Trading right now is selling low

If I was a MLB FA pitcher and someone offered me a chance to pitch in front of the Twins IF, and frankly their catchers, I would have to give serious thought to the wisdom of that idea. Oh they can hit, but that is one awful looking IF. It's almost inconceivable that this orginisation cannot draft and develop a SS who doesn't need his offensive prowess to justify his playing that position?

and yet they won 101 games