English, Gordon On AFL And Each Other

The Arizona Fall League provides an opportunity for prospects to play an extra 20 to 25 games against some premium competition. There are several reasons for a team to select players to participate. Once selected, players have different goals for what they’d like to accomplish while playing in the Fall League.

Recently we caught up with Tanner English and Nick Gordon and discussed their time in the Arizona Fall League and more. Gordon was the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft. English was the team’s 11th round pick in 2014 out of the University of South Carolina.

English is a fan of country music. He admits, “I am a country music fanatic. I love old country. I like the new stuff. I like everything.”

He and Gordon are very close, having been teammates at each level since signing. English continued, “He hates it, so whenever he’s around, I blare it.”

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Late in the 2016 season, the two were playing for the Ft. Myers Miracle in a series against the Tampa Yankees when they were first asked about possibly going to Arizona for the Fall League. Both were excited about the opportunity.

As we learned the other day, English missed a large portion of his season due to Lasik surgery which was followed by an ankle injury that cost him more time. He hoped that “the good Lord had a plan.”

Maybe the Arizona Fall League was that opportunity. As Twins minor league director Brad Steil recently told Twins Daily, “I think the AFL was something we were considering once he decided to have the procedure done. Whenever a player misses time because of an injury, we know that the AFL and/or instructional league are options to make up some of those at-bats or innings. Considering how Tanner finished the year, we thought that facing AFL pitching would be a nice step for him in his development progression.”

Nick Gordon got through his season in the heat of the Florida State League weary but generally healthy. He spent a week on the DL midseason with a concussion, but other than that, it was a relatively healthy season.

For Gordon,the Twins’ reasons for wanting him to play in the AFL were a little different. According to Steil, “Considering the season Nick had with the Miracle, we thought the AFL would be a natural progression in his development and would help prepare him for the jump to Double-A.”

Gordon acknowledged that he wasn’t even thinking about the Fall League when he found out, but he was very excited for the chance to play in Arizona.

“It definitely was a blessing when I found out. I wasn’t really expecting it at first. I was just going out there every single day trying to compete. I hadn’t thought about the offseason yet, and when I did find out, I was definitely happy about it.”

After missing so much time English’s goal for the Fall League sounds pretty simplistic, but really it was anything but.

“One of the things I wanted to work on going there was having more competitive at bats. That’s a pretty broad statement, but I missed a lot of time. So when I came back, I wanted to be able to use my eyes to my advantage. At first, it was tough because I had been hitting one way for so long that I had to make an adjustment. It sounds stupid, but I just had to be able to see the ball, you know,” English continued. “Going out to Arizona, I think I had played about 25 games before I went out there to finish out the year. I had a little bit of experience, but those guys had all been playing 100 games this year and I was on game number 30 or so. So, I was pretty far behind the other guys. I just wanted to go out there and have competitive at bats.”

Gordon was one of the youngest players in the Arizona Fall League during the season, though that is nothing new for the phenom. He had a decent idea of what to expect, at least in terms of the types of talent. “Definitely knew the competition was going to be good, but I knew I could go out there and compete. It’s why I train so hard all season doing the things that I do so I could just go out there and have fun. I knew going out there that there were guys going to the big leagues or had even played in the big leagues.”

He also was given some good advice from a 21-year-MLB veteran, his father Tom Gordon. “My dad was telling me that every single pitch, every single game, you can’t take anything for granted. It’s the same as the regular season. You’re going to play some guys who are ready for the big leagues.”

Nick Gordon led the Surprise Saguaros in several categories including batting average (.346), on-base percentage (.418), triples (2) and stolen bases (5). His .444 slugging percentage trailed only two teammates, one of which was Twins teammate Mitch Garver. Gordon also had just two errors in his 21 games played.

For English, his Fall League started out slow, but he got going about halfway through the season. Though his overall batting average was just .239, he got on base 33.3% of the time. His 21 games played were just one behind the team leaders. He also said that he absorbed and learned whether he was playing or not.

“Even if I wasn’t playing, I could go out there and watch some of the best dudes in baseball.” English noted, “When I wasn’t playing, I could be learning just by watching other people, either on my team or the other team. When I was playing, you learn a ton just from experience.”

Gordon was selected to play in the annual Fall Stars game, something he really enjoyed. He said of his experience, “It was a great time, and to be able to meet some of those guys and play with those guys, and be in the Fall Stars game. It was fun. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

Gordon said he got a signed bat from all of his teammates, “which was pretty awesome.”

English also had a great time. “The Fall League was a blast. As everybody knows, the competition is pretty crazy out there. Everyone is really good. It was a huge learning experience, and I’m just glad I got the opportunity to do it.”

Remember in Tuesday’s article when English received his promotion to Rochester for the final five games. He had to call his parents (at 1 a.m.), who were on their way to Ft. Myers to watch him play, that they might as well turn around. The Saguaros played in the AFL championship game which airs on MLB Network.

“Playing on MLB Network was cool. That was awesome. It’s one of the things that a lot of guys can’t say that they’ve been able to do. My parents haven’t seen me play in two years, I don’t think. So it was cool. They were able to turn the TV on and watch me play.”

Gordon and English were both drafted by the Twins in 2014. Gordon with the fifth overall pick. English with their 11th round pick. They played that summer together in Elizabethton. In 2015 they played together in Cedar Rapids. They were teammates with the Miracle in 2016 when English was healthy. And, as we just wrote about, they were teammates in the Arizona Fall League. They have roomed together and have become very close.

I asked each about what they have seen from each other in the time since they were drafted.

ENGLISH ON GORDON

What has Tanner English seen from Nick Gordon over these three seasons? How has he grown, and what makes him one of the top prospects in the game?

English emphatically paused the interviewer and said, “In the game, and don’t get that wrong. Not just in the system.”

English shared that he sent Gordon a text recently that literally said, “How the heck do you make hitting look so easy? Why is it so easy to you?”

“He is so good, and obviously his numbers hitting speak for themselves. Everybody knew he was a good hitter in high school. He just needed to get stronger, be able to control the bat a little more, hit the ball a little harder, which he’s don’t” English continued, “He’s gotten a lot better in the field. He is absolutely good enough to stay at shortstop. He works his tail off. He just turned 21 in the past year, and he acts like he’s a lot older. He’s grown up off the field as a man. He’s matured really fast which has helped him a lot. It’s been fun to watch him. It’s been fun to play with him.”

English is Gordon’s biggest fan, and cheerleader. “If there are videos of him making a sick play in the field, I can promise you I’m in the outfield, running in, pumping my fist in the air and screaming. You may not see that half the time, but I promise I’m doing that. I’m his #1 fan out there. And if I make a sick catch in the outfield, I look, and he’s the closest one to me. He’s pointing at me, clapping and yelling ‘Yes, sir.’ He’s a great teammate and a great friend. And I really look forward to playing with him and learning from him as we go.”

GORDON ON ENGLISH

Gordon is equally enthusiastic when talking about Tanner English. And when it comes to English, the first thing people want to talk about is his defense.

According to minor league director Brad Steil, “Certainly when you evaluate Tanner, his speed, arm, and overall defensive skills stand out. With his instincts and athletic ability, we think he has the potential to be an above average defender in the big leagues.”

Gordon adds, “He can honestly play the outfield with the best of them.I don't think I’ve seen too many better than Tanner in centerfield. He’s definitely reliable out there.”

But he can be more than just his great glove, Gordon says. “He can do so many things with the bat as well. And speed. It’s ridiculous. It’s unbelievable to watch him run. I’ve seen a couple of people in my life run like that, and one of them is my brother.”

That’s pretty fast!

While they are great friends, Gordon enjoys watching English play the game. He observes English, and they talk to each other about their games. And then they cheer for each other.

“It’s the way he plays the game. We have so many conversations about hitting. To see somebody grow and learn is great. To listen to some of the things that we talk about and then we see each other doing it, it pumps me up. It’s fun to be able to play with him and pick his brain and stuff like that, and to become so close.”

These two have a strong bond and a mutual respect for one another on and off the field. They enjoy competing with each other and cheering for each other. They can both acknowledge the other’s strengths. They both have big league futures, and they’ll help each other reach their potential.