Has Nick Gordon Proven His Worth to the Twins?

[Cody Christie]

Nick Gordon was once a top prospect, but his career has taken on a different path. What has he proven to the Twins as he closes in on 100 big-league games?

 

 

Nick Gordon faced plenty of hurdles on his path to the big leagues. For four consecutive seasons (2015-2018), he was a consensus top-100 prospect after the Twins took him with the fifth overall pick in 2014. It was clear that Gordon had the pedigree and the tools one would expect from a top prospect, but things didn't go perfectly from there. 

In 2018, the 22-year-old spent 70% of the season at Triple-A, where he was 4.5 years younger than the average age of the competition. He compiled a .906 OPS at Double-A before being promoted, but then he hit .212/.262/.283 (.544) with 82 strikeouts in 99 games. Out of his 544 at-bats that season, only 29 came versus younger pitchers, so there was still hope for him to put it all together. 

Things went worse from there as he was limited to 70-games in 2019 with a stomach ailment, and then his season ended early after being hit in the knee with a pitch. Gordon did well in limited action by hitting .298/.342/.459 (.801) with 29 doubles, three triples, and four home runs. It was easy to see how he may be able to impact the big-league roster in the years ahead, but 2020 took a toll on Gordon in more ways than one.  

Gordon missed time during spring training in 2020 with a similar stomach ailment, and then he tested positive for COVID. He missed the entire season when he had an opportunity to work at the team's alternate site and possibly make his big-league debut. Gordon's debut moved to the 2021 season while the Twins were struggling on the field. 

In his first 20 big-league games, he hit .308/.333/.404 (.737) with three extra-base hits. His BABIP during that stretch was .366, so there was bound to be some regression. From there until the end of August (29 games), his OPS dropped to .487, and he struck out 26 times in 84 plate appearances. Gordon turned things around in September when he started getting more regular playing time. In 24 games, he hit .264/.308/.444 (.752) with four doubles and three home runs. While many had turned away from a miserable Twins season, it looked like Gordon was starting to figure it out at the big-league level. 

As the 2022 campaign began, Gordon seemed like a natural fit in a utility role for the Twins. Throughout his big-league tenure, he has made starts at four different defensive positions (CF, 2B, SS, LF) and has time at third base and in right field, as well. In 22 games, he has hit .229/.275/.292 (.567) with two extra-base hits and a 17-to-3 strikeout to walk ratio. Major League Baseball's depleted offensive numbers this season don't help Gordon's OPS+ as he is seven points under his total from last year and well below the league average.  

Now in his age-26 season, Gordon may not live up to what evaluators thought of him early in his professional career. However, he has built out a niche at the big-league level on a team that continues to win. Also, Minnesota's injured list continues to grow, so that the team will need depth from other players on the 40-man roster. This may allow him to get more regular playing time, and that's when he had the most success in his big-league career. The Twins don't need him to be an All-Star caliber player, but they can benefit from his defensive versatility and other intangibles he brings to the roster. 

Do you think NIck Gordon has proven his worth to the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

 

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[Sean.h]

Kind of like a Nick Punto type player. If used well (and hopefully not every day), he can be valuable.

[4twinsJA]

Like Gordon's versatility, can play any position but 1B and C, maybe he can work at that. He can hold his own at the plate, good speed, late inning pinch runner. According to Baseball Reference does not get arbitration until 2025 so Twins have him under their control for another 5 years after this year. Don't know if Gordon ever progresses to point he is a fulltime starter, but definitely has good value for Twins as utility player.

[High heat]

with 3 man bench and station to station baseball a guy who can fill in at every position other then catcher and play it relatively well while adding some speed as a pinch runner has good value.  

If he can continue what he is doing he will have a big league job for years to come.

[Dman]

Hard for me to figure out where Gordon fits on this team.  He has very good defensive versatility as he can play all infield positions and outfield positions and not lose much from a defensive standpoint except for maybe short. He is also one of the few players who can steal a base when needed. Still the bat seems light to me. He doesn't have much power and isn't a great OBP guy either. His K rate wasn't horrible in 2021 and he puts the ball in play at a decent clip but his OPS has been in the 600 level at the MLB level.

With Celestino proving he can cover the outfield and Miranda\Arraez the infield.  With Steer, Martin and Jullien in the wings he is going to need to hit more to save his job IMO.  He seems like a well liked player but at some point you have to provide offensive value or someone who does will take your place.  His versatility will keep him around but IMO not forever.

[Sean.h]

26 minutes ago, Dman said:

Hard for me to figure out where Gordon fits on this team.  He has very good defensive versatility as he can play all infield positions and outfield positions and not lose much from a defensive standpoint except for maybe short. He is also one of the few players who can steal a base when needed. Still the bat seems light to me. He doesn't have much power and isn't a great OBP guy either. His K rate wasn't horrible in 2021 and he puts the ball in play at a decent clip but his OPS has been in the 600 level at the MLB level.

With Celestino proving he can cover the outfield and Miranda\Arraez the infield.  With Steer, Martin and Jullien in the wings he is going to need to hit more to save his job IMO.  He seems like a well liked player but at some point you have to provide offensive value or someone who does will take your place.  His versatility will keep him around but IMO not forever.

Generally agree with the sentiment but Miranda/Arraez can't handle short, so to the extent that Gordon can handle short that does provide some value...

[Trov]

I have always been a let Gordon play approach.  He has always performed when healthy after adjusting to the level he was at.  Will he be an all-star, no.  But he could be a valuable utility guy.  If not for us, for someone.  I think he belongs in the majors and even if we do not keep him he will get time with some team. 

[Dman]

9 minutes ago, Sean.h said:

Generally agree with the sentiment but Miranda/Arraez can't handle short, so to the extent that Gordon can handle short that does provide some value...

Yeah unfortunately the Twins don't have a lot of shortstop depth beyond Lewis which is why he is such an important player for them.  I was pretty high on Palacios last year but he isn't hitting all that much better than Gordon and he is at AAA not the Majors.  So why not just keep Gordon where he is unless you fancy a right handed bat. Palacios would provide better D at short but not the all around utility Gordon provides in the outfield.

Steer can play short from what I understand but he hasn't played there much and he isn't real fast.  Jullien and Martin can't be trusted to play there at all really.  I think you have to go all the way down to A ball and Miller to find another player capable of playing short at a reliable level and he might slow down as he moves up hard to say.  So I get your point.  Not that Gordon is a top notch Shortstop himself but he can at least play there.  I still think he is vulnerable unless he can prove he can do more with the bat.

[Thegrin]

I don't hate Gordon in the lineup, but I find that every hit is a surprise (that's not good). Since Gordon has versatility, lets keep him on the roster, but not at the expense of Kiriloff or Larnach (since he's hitting, this year) or Miranda (love him

[bean5302]

Gordon has 51 plate appearances this year and he's slumped a bit in the last few. His batted ball data shows his average exit velocity is solid and he's been very unlucky overall. Honestly, he just needs a much bigger sample size to judge. Gordon's ceiling at this point is probably MLB average hitter with a more likely expectation of well below average, but he provides the aforementioned defensive versatility. He's the prototypical utility player. A guy you can play every day for a couple weeks if you need to while another player is on the 10 day IL, but not somebody you'd want as a starter. There's a lot of value in those kinds of players because they're inexpensive, but don't come with the risk of an untested AAA replacement player.

With Lewis off to such an inspiring start and the addition of Correa and Urshela this offseason, it's awfully crowded, but Gordon is a better fit in the traditional utility role than pretty much anybody else because of what he does (and doesn't) bring to the table. 

[GKuehl]

His package is essentially a faster, slightly more versatile but less useful at SS Ehire Adrianza, which can certainly be a useful piece on a winning club.

However, if he doesn’t clear a .600 OPS this year, it’s hard to justify him locking down the utility role moving into next year.

Another comment mentioned Miranda, Arraez, Steer, Martin, and Julien who are all essentially utility players capably of playing the same positions as Gordon (minus SS). And with Jorge capable of sliding back to SS when needed, it might get tough to justify keeping Gordon on the roster as one of 12 or 13 hitters, particularly since we don’t seem very comfortable playing Gordon at SS.

He’s not an every day guy, but even if Correa leaves at the end of the year, Lewis is certain to step in at SS next year and keep Gordon in the exact same role, just with Steer, Martin, and Julien nipping at his heels with another year of development and at bats under their belts. 

I like Gordon, and while we have a handful of cheap, controllable years, he might not merit the roster spot in years to come. 

[RpR]

3 minutes ago, GKuehl said:

 with Jorge capable of sliding back to SS when needed,

?

[GKuehl]

8 minutes ago, RpR said:

?

I’d rather have Jorge at SS and Arraez or Miranda at 2B than Gordon at SS. 

[Rosterman]

He will forever be a utility player in the Twins system and will stay around until arbitration when he may become "too expensive" for his role, compared to othre alternatives. Not sure if he will ever get the chance like a Hocking, Adrianza or Punto to be the regular when someone goes down with an injury.

The sad fact that the Twins NEED to play him in the outfield show how shaky the organization currently is in outfield depth, although they shouldn't be. But, in the end, would you play Gordon in any position permanently? That is the true evaluation of his worth to the team. At least with Arraez you would happily give him second, third for a season or more, and would be comfortable pluggintg him at first or the outfield if you feel the dire need for his bat.

[Dave The Dastardly]

So if I may attempt to summarize comments so far; Gordon is best with a bat when he plays every day, but he's not an everyday player. I'm having trouble coming to grips with that.

[Major League Ready]

I agree with Dman that Gordon is fine for now but likely replaced in the not so distant future, especially if Martin ends up a utility guy.  He can play both INF and OF.  Celestino is looking like 1st option off the bench for the OF.  Steer is looking like he will be the 1st option off the bench for the INF.  That leaves one bench spot. Martin / Steer and Celestino can cover the defensive positions so I would think they would be looking for a big bat that can be a DH.  

[DocBauer]

I guess my answer is...yes...but not completely.

I have been generally impressed with his defense, especially so in the OF where he never played until being tossed out there in desperation last year. Last season, he hit, then he didn't, then he hit again. The speed and SB ability is real. Despite his thin frame, the ball jumps once in a while and he has more pop than it looks like he should. 

When I read something like this OP, I'm not only reminded yet again of his consistent "second year" at a level progress, but just how good he was in 2018 at AA, and in 2019 at AAA, his "second year" there. In fact, had he not been injured, it's almost a certainty, IMO, that he would have been promoted instead of Arraez.

I say "not completely" as I've been a little disappointed in him here in 2022, though I admit the SSS at this point. I really expected him to raise all his numbers to more or less average. And he might still. 

But that's why my answer is in 2 parts.

(Note* While never a large dude, I think he's still lost weight and strength over the previous 2 ill/hurt years that has cost him. I'd really like to see him a good 12-15lbs heavier)

 

[RpR]

34 minutes ago, Rosterman said:

He will forever be a utility player in the Twins system and will stay around until arbitration when he may become "too expensive" for his role, compared to othre alternatives. Not sure if he will ever get the chance like a Hocking, Adrianza or Punto to be the regular when someone goes down with an injury.

The sad fact that the Twins NEED to play him in the outfield show how shaky the organization currently is in outfield depth, although they shouldn't be. But, in the end, would you play Gordon in any position permanently? That is the true evaluation of his worth to the team. At least with Arraez you would happily give him second, third for a season or more, and would be comfortable pluggintg him at first or the outfield if you feel the dire need for his bat.

Gordon's Rtot numbers are all positive this year; Arreaz Rtot number at 2nd and 3rd are all negative.

Dump Arreaz and keep Gordon, plus Gordon has speed, and speed on bases is a strong positive.

[tony&rodney]

Has Nick Gordon proven his worth? 

Yes.

[mikelink45]

I am a fan and I think he deserves to continue on the bench for the twins. He is not a starter, but he has shown great value

[The Mad King]

I remember when we considered Schoop a "placeholder" until Gordon was ready...I like his speed in the lineup and his versitility in the field. I'm good with him as our utility guy 

[jimbo92107]

I see Nick Gordon continuing to get a little better every week. His throws from the OF look better, are carrying better as he learns to lengthen his follow through. His at bats seem more and more comfortable. 

If the Twins let this guy get away, they'll be sorry. Gordon is finally healthy, so we're starting to see why the Twins spent a first round pick on him. 

[stringer bell]

I haven't been a huge Nick Gordon fan and pictured him "on the bubble" to make the Twins out of spring training this year. In paying attention to the Twins last year after they were hopelessly out of the running, and this year, when things have so far gone very well, I have an increased appreciation for Mr. Gordon.

He has demonstrated that he is a capable outfielder and he's not a sure out at the plate. Nick has good speed, something in short supply on this Twins team. Injuries seem to have cemented his position on the active roster.

As for his versatility, Nick Gordon is not going to play many, if any, innings at third base or in right field. The key to his value is whether he can be trusted as a shortstop. Last year, when winning mattered, Rocco preferred Jorge Polanco over Gordon as a shortstop. This year, Gordon has played one full game there and played a few innings where the score was lopsided. When Carlos Correa got injured, Gordon was the in-game replacement. I guess, on balance, the Twins seem to look slightly more favorably on Gordon as a shortstop. 

During spring training, I opined that Nick Gordon was no more than the third choice at any defensive position on the Twins team. If he's the second choice on the active roster at shortstop, his value is enhanced and I think that is the case if Royce Lewis is sent back to the minors when Correa is ready to play again. Gordon has gotten starts in center field and left field, so he seems to have improved his value due to his outfield play. The bat, however, continues to be bottom of the order at best.

In summary, an out-of-options Nick Gordon is likely to last the season as a Minnesota Twin. If the Twins would try to sneak him to St. Paul via DFA, I now think he would be claimed and lost to the organization. I doubt that there is regular playing time in his future and wouldn't be surprised if he was on another team in 2023, but Nick Gordon is a major league player and has the skills and versatility that will keep him a major league player for some time.

[Riverbrian]

Royce Lewis, Jose Miranda and Gilberto Celestino have options and Nick does not. When you look at him in that context, he becomes less attractive to me. He becomes that player that is good enough that you don't want to DFA and lose for nothing but not good enough to justify keeping better players with options in the minors in order to preserve him. 

If everyone was healthy (if only for just a couple of days). Keeping Gordon on the roster could mean sending Lewis or Miranda down just to keep Gordon away from the waiver wolves. 

Gordon needs to play better while he is getting opportunity. Gordon needs to rock the world right now. 

 

[TwinsDr2021]

Gordon is only starter on a rebuilding team, he is a good last player(s) off the bench on a winning team. He can play defense basically anywhere, be pinch runner, steal a base, and that is important position on a winning team. Has he proven his worth to stay in the majors? I think so, has he proven his draft position (which wasn't the question) probably not.

[Major League Ready]

15 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

 

In summary, an out-of-options Nick Gordon is likely to last the season as a Minnesota Twin. If the Twins would try to sneak him to St. Paul via DFA, I now think he would be claimed and lost to the organization. I doubt that there is regular playing time in his future and wouldn't be surprised if he was on another team in 2023, but Nick Gordon is a major league player and has the skills and versatility that will keep him a major league player for some time.

The three guys most likely to replace him (Martin/Steer/Julian) are all at AA.  The only way I see him being replaced this year is if he is part of a deadline trade.  The more likely scenario is one or more of the three above get promoted to AAA mid season and  play well enough to earn a promotion next year.  Gordon becomes part of an off-season trade.    Reminds me of the Wade Jr. situation.  Let's hope they do better on this one.

The good news is that Steer or Martin could be more impactful than Gordon! A future bench with Celestino / Martin / Steer and a a big bat DH sounds really good to me.  Martin or Steer could be good enough to take 2B permanently when Polanco becomes a FA in 2025.

[High heat]

13 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Royce Lewis, Jose Miranda and Gilberto Celestino have options and Nick does not. When you look at him in that context, he becomes less attractive to me. He becomes that player that is good enough that you don't want to DFA and lose for nothing but not good enough to justify keeping better players with options in the minors in order to preserve him. 

If everyone was healthy (if only for just a couple of days). Keeping Gordon on the roster could mean sending Lewis or Miranda down just to keep Gordon away from the waiver wolves. 

Gordon needs to play better while he is getting opportunity. Gordon needs to rock the world right now. 

 

If Correa is back as well as Arreaz and they are going to give 1B over to Kiriloff.  Id rather see both Miranda and Lewis go back to AAA rather then get scramble for atbats and lose development time and lose Gordon.  

If Gordon was placed on Waivers he would get picked up probably by a bottom feeding AL team (first few choices)

[awmonahan]

He fills the utility role. Arraez does the same bat-first, while Gordon does it glove first. There's value there. Lots of first rounders don't make it or play much at all. So I won't bemoan this pick. 

[Riverbrian]

2 minutes ago, High heat said:

If Correa is back as well as Arreaz and they are going to give 1B over to Kiriloff.  Id rather see both Miranda and Lewis go back to AAA rather then get scramble for atbats and lose development time and lose Gordon.  

If Gordon was placed on Waivers he would get picked up probably by a bottom feeding AL team (first few choices)

I completely understand your reasoning. It's quite popular to stash talented players in the minors in the name of needing every day playing time.

I just don't personally agree with it. It doesn't have to be a scramble, a good manager can provide enough playing time for anyone who earns it.

I also believe that rostering a player because he doesn't need every day playing time is a waste of that roster spot and simply wrong in concept.  

[umterp23]

So does Gordon or Arraez now become a trade asset at the deadline to make some upgrades to chase a post season birth?  Lewis doesn't quite have the versatility as either, Miranda maybe but not quite.  I think the key to this is Larnach, Kiriloff and Garlick.  Who sticks in the OF when healthy and does Kiriloff make Arraez odd man out?