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His story has always included mention of his bloodlines. Nick Gordon is the son of long-time big league pitcher Tom “Flash” Gordon. His older brother, Dee Gordon, has been an All-Star and won a batting title. However, as Nick Gordon works his way up the Minnesota Twins organization ladder, he is attempting to create his own story and his own path. Baseball has always been a huge part of Nick Gordon’s story, at least as long as he can remember.“For as long as I can remember, baseball was always something I wanted to play. My brother loved basketball, but I always wanted to be a baseball player,” Nick continued. “I played different sports, but since I was three or four years old, as long as I can remember, I had a bat in my hand. I always tried to follow my dad and follow my brother to the baseball field, so I always knew I wanted to be a baseball player.” His path involves a terrific career at Olympia High School in Orlando. He became the first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins, the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft. Upon signing, he jumped straight to Elizabethton where he was much younger than most players in the league. The same is true of his first full season, 2015 in the Midwest League. Gordon went into the season knowing that he had to do something, work much harder, to push through what can be a long, difficult season in the heat and humidity of the Florida State League. Gordon put on 15 pounds of good muscle. Of last offseason, he said he “learned about resting, eating and maturing in the game. I’m from Florida, I know it’s hot. You know that you have to put on extra weight and extra pounds because later on in the season, you’re going to shed some pounds. Beyond that, Gordon said, “And, you’re going to get days when you’re tired and feeling sluggish, and the extra work in the offseason helps for days like that.” While he came into the 2016 season without any specific number goals, Gordon had some key goals for the year that come in more general terms. “Staying healthy is always a goal. It’s kind of in and out of your control, but it’s always a goal. I would definitely say consistency and things for that sort, good at-bats, going out and winning ball games.” While the 2016 Miracle did not win either half of its season, they did combine for a 70-68 record overall. Gordon had a good season. He hit .291/.335/.386 (.721) with 23 doubles, six triples and three home runs. Gordon was playing shortstop behind that impressive group of starting pitcher prospects that started the season in Ft. Myers. “They came out every day and competed and gave us a chance. That’s why we got off to the start that we did. Being behind (Stephen) Gonsalves, (Tyler) Jay, (Kohl) Stewart, those guys really throw the ball, and it was amazing to watch. To be honest, Felix Jorge was the most impressive to me. Every single time, and even last year, every time he takes the mound, it’s special.” Gordon and Jorge have also been teammates since 2014. Of his 2016 season, Gordon said, “A lot of good things happened, and a lot of bad things happened that I also learned from.” One of those good things for Gordon was being named a starter at shortstop in the Florida State League All-Star Game which was played at Hammond Stadium, home of the Miracle. “It definitely was fun. A lot of my family got to get out because it was close to home. They all got to see me play. I had fun. It was a blast. I played with some guys that are going to be great in this game, and a lot of guys who really love to compete and play the game hard. So it was definitely a great time.” Gordon noticed a difference between pitchers in the Midwest League and pitchers in the Florida State League. Specifically, he saw more and more of a tough pitch that hitters need to adapt to. “Pitchers definitely have a little better idea, and that’s every single level that you go to. They’re going to have a better idea. I saw a lot more cutters this year that you wouldn’t see elsewhere, like Low A and Rookie Ball. You definitely start seeing it in High-A, and it’s a very effective pitch. You’ve got to learn how to make adjustments on it. The cutter was definitely a challenge, but making the adjustments and starting to see the pitch and recognize the pitch helped me get ready for the next level.” Being in Florida, his parents were able to see him often during the season. With his brother playing across the peninsula with the Marlins, it was a lot more difficult. “My brother’s first game back (following suspension), I was able to go. We had a day off, so I was able to go there. That was pretty much it. Normally on a day off, I was getting rest and it turned into a thing where our schedules wouldn’t line up. My parents were always back and forth between Miami and Ft. Myers to see us. I definitely got to see my family a lot. Off days were spent well.” As the season was coming to an end, Gordon found out late in the season that he was going to the Arizona Fall League. (For much more on his time in the Fall League, click here.) Gordon hit a robust .346/.418/.444 (.862) with four doubles and two triples in his 21 games. Following the Fall League, Gordon took almost two weeks off, “just kind of hanging with my family.” At that point, he began his 2016/17 offseason work, doing many of the same things he did a year earlier, but to a new level. “I started my lifts, and then right after that, we were right back to ground balls and hitting in the cage. I worked out with Barry Larkin, Francisco Lindor, my brother and guys like that. They started, so I couldn't let them get too far ahead of me.” As baseball celebrates its new Hall of Fame class. Gordon is working out again with Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, as he has in previous years, in Orlando. Each day, Gordon is a sponge, observing everything and asking a ton of questions. “Everything that Mr. Larkin teaches, you know, I don’t want to miss that. I took two weeks, began working out, and we’ve been getting after it ever since then. Five days a week. We take Fridays and Saturdays off, depending on the week and if people had anything going on. We’re out there from about 9-2 every day. We definitely get after it.” Gordon continued, “I ask as many questions as I can. I like to watch Francisco (Lindor) and the way he does things. That’s the player I would love to be one day. Just to see the things that he’s able to do with the glove and the bat. I try to take a lot of things from him. And just to hear Mr. Larkin talk, he’s got so much wisdom. He can look at anyone taking a ground ball or anyone swinging a bat. He’ll be able to see things, and he doesn’t come up and tell you that you have to change your swing. He’ll help work with your swing. He’ll be there to be hands on. He’s definitely one of the most influential people in my baseball career, right after my dad and my brother. He’s been there for me, and I definitely am thankful for being able to work with them.” And there is a new participant at these Larkin group this year, someone else that Gordon can watch and learn from. “And, we started hitting with Carlos Gonzalez this year, so now we get to see the power too.” In recent weeks, Gordon got a phone call telling him that the Twins were inviting him to big league spring training as a non-roster invite. That Twins don’t just hand out spring training invites to young players unless they feel that the player can contribute and contribute fairly soon. “Brad (Steil) called. I was stoked about it. I called my dad. I called my mom. They were both very excited. It’s an honor and a blessing to get the invite to spring training, big league camp,” Gordon said. “It’ll be good to be around the veterans of the game, the veteran coaches in the game. It’s going to be a great experience. I’m definitely looking forward to it.” He’s got some goals for 2017 and also knows what the key is to his success. “Strength, definitely. I feel like strength will help me improve a lot of things in my game in the field and at the plate. Defensively, consistency. Getting my body in the right positions and making sure to do everything right. I always practice while preparing.” 2017 will be a big year for Gordon. He turned 21 years old in October, so he’ll be one of the youngest players in the Southern League next year. Many believe that the jump from A ball to AA ball is difficult, the most difficult. He has the talent to succeed, and his maturity and understanding of the game will only help. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Twins Minor League Director Brad Steil on Nick Gordon's tools: "Nick does a lot of things well and has the potential to grow in all areas of the game. His swing and hit skills are probably what stand out for most people. I think he has shown the ability to hit high end pitching and we also think he will develop power as he physically matures and gets stronger. Overall, Nick has an advanced feel for the game and I think we see that on both sides of the ball." Some in the industry question whether or not Gordon can stick at shortstop long-term. Here is Steil's response on that. "Defense is something that Nick works very hard at and he continues to show progress at SS. I have seen him make plays in the hole and I think his arm strength will improve as he gets stronger. With young shortstops, I think it’s normal to see some inconsistency in their play, and we’ve seen some of that with Nick along the way. However, as he gains experience and continues to learn the nuances of the position, I think we’ll see him iron out some of those mistakes and develop into a reliable major league defender." Click here to view the article

On Thursday, the Twins got a 7-6 wins over the Miami Marlins at Hammond Stadium. Brian Dozier homered. Mike Pelfrey pitched well. Chris Herrmann delivered a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8th to give the Twins a lead. Mark Hamburger came in and looked great in the ninth for the save. Below, find many notes from Thursday at Hammond Stadium and the Lee County Sports Complex. Some notes are regarding the game. Others regarding the first minor league practice. Enjoy!Before the game, I chatted with a couple of players. This afternoon, I posted an article on the very interesting story of Tyler Grimes. JR GRAHAM I also spent some time chatting with Rule 5 pick JR Graham. He says he’s really enjoyed his spring with the Twins, but he pointed out that it is quite a bit different from what he was accustomed to with the Braves. He knows he’ll get his innings this spring. With the Braves, he said that they had the spring pitching scale mapped out for the entire six weeks of games. Down to the inning. He said that he has a few friends with the Braves yet, but some of his best friends have been traded. Atlanta’s roster for 2015 is completely different from last year. Two members of the bullpen were traded to the Rockies. Two others were traded elsewhere. Justin Upton and Graham’s good friend Jason Heyward were traded. If he were to go back to the Braves, he’d be going back to a team full of change. Graham experienced shoulder pain in 2013. He said the pain was in the back of his shoulder. “There were times when I couldn’t raise my arm. I’d not pick up a ball for three weeks and just rehab, and when I tried to throw, I just couldn’t.” Graham spent the first half of 2014 as a starter with a strict pitch count, generally five innings or 50 pitches, whichever came first. In the season’s second half, he pitched out of the bullpen. The Braves’ goal for him in 2014 was to get him through the season healthy. He said, “I just wanted to pitch, but I struggled with consistency. I would hit 98 one pitch, and then I couldn’t get it again.” Watching Graham pitch out of the bullpen is interesting. He doesn’t bring the ball way back, but when he lets the ball go, he gets great velocity. He’s certainly someone that I would think the Twins would want to keep around if at all possible. As you know, as a Rule 5 pick, if he does not remain on the Twins active roster (or DL) throughout the 2015 season, he will need to be offered back to the Braves. KYLE GIBSON Kyle Gibson was really happy with his outing on Wednesday in Dunedin. He was hitting 94, but he was happiest that his sinker was working well. Last spring training, Gibson had a lot on his mind. The Gibson family celebrated their daughter's first birthday last week. He also was in a competition for the fifth starter job with Vance Worley, Sam Deduno and Scott Diamond, each out of options. Gibson won that competition and remained in the Twins rotation throughout the 2014 season. Asked if his mindset was any different this spring, he said, “It is in some ways. I always feel like I need to prove myself and have to pitch well to earn the position. At the same time, it’s nice to be able to work on some things.” He does want to pick up more strikeouts, but with his sinker, he will always be a groundball pitcher. His goal for the season is to be more consistent than 2014. It isn’t about the statistics. He said, “At the end of the year, I hope to have made 33 starts and given my teammates a chance to win each one of them.” PHIL HUGHES Phil Hughes had an interesting game. In the first inning, he struck out the side in order. He then didn’t get out of the second inning. He issued a (GASP!) walk and later allowed a three-run homer. In all, he gave up four runs in the inning, and Jason Wheeler had to get the final out. Hughes said the innings were “like night and day.” In the second inning, he felt that he was trying to do a little too much, be a little too perfect and then he got upset. “To lead off the second, I made some good pitches and then I tried to be too fine as the at-bat progressed. I felt like I could do no wrong in the first, locating cutters to my arm side. Then I missed on a couple and I started getting frustrated and tried to throw the pitch over and over again until I got it right. That ended up working against me.” He continued, “I felt good overall with my stuff. I felt like I was locating my fastball really well. It was there, I just got into my own head there in the second trying to make a perfect pitch instead of just going down and away with fastballs and getting outs.” MIKE PELFREY Mike Pelfrey threw well, working three scoreless innings and giving up just two hits. However, the story of his performance was a wild play. Adeiny Hechavarria hit a fast one-hopper back toward Pelfrey. The ball went in his glove and stuck. He ran toward first base and underhanded the glove to Joe Mauer for an interesting out (video). Let’s let Pelfrey tell you what happened. “He hit the ball back to me, and I thought I made a good play. I’m like ‘Sweet!’ I’m reaching, and I’m reaching, and it’s not coming. I looked at him. I guarantee, if you play this game, you’re faster than me. It’s going to be a foot race so I just took off. Luckily I got over there and beat him to it.” He continued, “I know my actions were good. I think I did what I was supposed to. We got the guy out, so I’ll take it.” Manager Paul Molitor has been around the game a long time, and he wasn’t sure what to think either. He called it “a little free entertainment” and joked that it may have to be part of the PFP package tomorrow. He was a little worried though. “I’ve seen replay, but I’ve never seen it live. I’m sure we’ve all seen it see it happen on replays, but that was entertaining. I don’t know who was more panicked about it, Joe (Mauer) or Mike. When he started flipping it, I envisioned the ball coming out. I couldn’t tell how well it was in there from my angle.” The strange play may have overshadowed Pelfrey’s strong performance. He felt very good about it. Pelfrey was happy at the conclusion of his outing. “I did a better job of getting ahead and throwing strikes. I got good movement, and good sink on it. I think obviously by the ground balls. I did a good job of locating it. I think when you do that everything gets a little bit better, your split or slider or curve. But fastball command is where it all started. I thought it was pretty good today.” Pelfrey is in a fight for a starting rotation spot for the first time in six or seven years. He’s put in the work. “I busted my tail this offseason for the kind of position I’m in. I owe it to the Twins and I also owe it to myself to go out there and give it everything I have. I busted my tail. The best thing for me is that I’m healthy. When I’m healthy, I feel like I can get people out and I can be successful.” Paul Molitor certainly took notice. “Strong outing for him. The first three hitters hit the ball straight in the dirt. It tells you he’s getting his movement back.” Following yesterday’s strong performance by Tommy Milone, another fifth starter candidate, “We’d much rather, as we’ve said with some other spots around here, you want hard decisions. That’s a good thing. Sometimes they work themselves out and sometimes they make it tough. I’ll choose tough. That means people are performing.” BRIAN DOZIER Brian Dozier got things started with a bang. On the ninth pitch of his first at-bat, Dozier lined a homer over the left field fence off of Marlins right-hander Jarred Cosart. “Cosart. That guy is nasty, man. I saw every pitch. Saw the breaking ball he tried to throw me a couple of times. Fouled off a couple of good pitches I thought I could hit, and then he made another mistake right over the middle. I put good wood on it.” EDDIE ROSARIO The outfielder entered the game late, but he had a big impact. He went 2-2 during his time in the game. Molitor has played him more in left field than centerfield. The manager talked about his performance following the game starting with who those hits came against. “Off two lefties, in two big situations. He had good at-bats the other day in Dunedin. We’ve always said this guy is going to hit wherever he’s at. I like how he’s gone about his work. I’ve been around him enough to know that it wasn’t one of his strong suits when he was coming through the system. The ability to hit. I think a lot of people believed that would come up and hit eventually. He stays in there against lefties really well. Molitor also recalled Rosario’s ability in the minor leagues to play up in big spots. “If you saw him play in the minor leagues, he liked the big situations. We sometimes had to challenge him to take all of his at-bats seriously, but you knew if it was a big situation, he was going to bring his A game. Today he stepped up with a couple of big hits for us. The first time he got a hit to go ahead. The second time, he got the three-hole, so I think he’s got a plan.” MARK HAMBURGER Mark Hamburger has big league service. He has a big-time arm. He needs an opportunity. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record the save, and frankly, he made it look pretty easy. I asked the manager if he’s shown enough to enter the race for a big league bullpen spot. “I would have to say he’s in the race. He’s had three outings, and he’s been effective. He’s different. He’s got different release points. He’s got pitches. He’s a confident young man. He’s done a lot of things to put himself in this position. Yeah, we’re somewhat opened-minded, and I think we’d be foolish not to give certain people an opportunity to get looks throughout the spring.” GORDON FAMILY REUNION On Wednesday morning, the Twins minor leaguers had their first official workout. With the Marlins being in town to play the Twins, it was very neat to see All-Star Dee Gordon make the trip. Even more, he came over to the minor league area just to watch his younger brother, Twins first-round pick Nick Gordon. Dee Gordon stood outside the practice field with his father, Tom Gordon, watching Nick go through some base-running drills and take a lot of ground balls. Dee went 1-3 with an RBI in the big league game. Click here to view the article

19-year-old Nick Gordon, the Twins first-round draft pick last June out of high school in Orlando, Florida, made the trek north to Minneapolis last weekend for Twins Fest. The talented, young shortstop debuted at Elizabethton in 2014 and played well. Coupling immense talent with his poise and maturity make him one to watch in 2015!Of course, it takes more than maturity to be drafted as high as Gordon was (5th overall) as a high school kid. It takes a ton of talent. Gordon is currently a four-tool talent though many believe that over time he will also add the ability to hit for power and become a five-tool player. Twins Minor League Director Brad Steil pointed out in the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 why the Twins brass decided to have him skip the Gulf Coast League completely and spend his entire season at Elizabethton. “With the maturity and skill level we saw from him in high school, we thought he’d be able to compete at that level and handle any adversity. He was probably more prepared for pro ball than most high school players, having been around it most of his life because of his dad and brother.” The Twins have not had a high school player jump straight to Elizabethton after the draft since 2004 when Trevor Plouffe did that. Before him, Joe Mauer hit .400 in Elizabethton after signing with the Twins after being the first overall pick in 2001. Asked this weekend how having a father (Tom) and a brother (Dee) with big league experience has helped him out, Nick responded by saying he’s learned a lot from each of them. “It’s always great. You know, my dad played for 21 seasons. He knows the game. He’s been around it. My brother as well. Going to them, they know all the ropes. They know everything I’m going through because they’ve been through it all already. They’re always there for me.” Gordon held his own against many players significantly older than he is. Many players in the Appalachian League have three or four years of college under their belt, or they have been in pro ball for one to three years already. In 57 games, he hit .294/.333/.364 (.699) with six doubles, four triples and a home run. He stole 11 bases. In 49 games at shortstop, he had just eight errors and posted a .964 fielding percentage. These numbers don’t jump out, but they are impressive when put in the context of his age and experience relative to the league. Unfortunately, in the season’s final game, he was jammed by a pitch and broke a finger. Asked how his finger is now, Gordon said, “Finger was OK after a couple weeks. I got back after it. It kind of bothered me a little bit, but now it’s just baseball.” So what was the biggest adjustment for him to professional baseball? One might think that adjusting to wood bats, especially coming out of high school could be difficult, but Gordon said that wasn’t the biggest adjustment for him. “In the summer, all we used was wood bats in Florida. We played baseball all year around, so that’s the great thing about playing in Florida, we were constantly using wood bats.” He continued, “It’s just mainly playing every day. Coming from high school, you played every other day. That was the biggest adjustment for me. Once I got it, after about a month or two, it felt good. It felt like I was in the swing of things.” He now has his first pro experience under his belt and says that his offseason has been very good. “I’ve just been working out, trying to put on some weight, and stay fast. Stay to my game. I’m loving the process.” His goal for 2015 is pretty simple and yet his offseason work is an attempt to help him achieve his goal, to “stay healthy. That (added) weight is important. You have to be physically ready. Playing close to 100 games a year, you’ve got to be ready to go. I’m ready to get out there and I’ve been working on conditioning.” In an interview with 1500 ESPN over the weekend, Gordon said that one of his favorite players (non-relative category) growing up was Derek Jeter. It wasn’t just for his great talent, but he admired his leadership. Gordon hopes that he can be a similar type of player. “I know I can go out there, and I know I can play. It’s just about competing and making myself and my teammates better.” The Twins selected Gordon in the first round. They did not draft another high school player until the 15th round when they drafted an outfielder named Roberto Gonzalez, another Orlando native. Gordon went to Olympia high school in Orlando while Gonzalez went to University high school. “Yeah, I played against him in high school. We always played against each other. Mostly in the summer though.” Gordon was asked to describe Gonzalez and said, “He’s a really good athlete.” When I asked if Gonzalez could be a five-tool talent, without hesitation, Gordon said, “Oh yeah! Oh yeah!” Twins Fest was not Gordon’s first trip to Target Field. After being drafted last summer, he came to Target Field to sign his contract. His thoughts on the stadium? “It’s beautiful. Even with the snow on the field.” He certainly seemed to enjoy his Twins Fest experience. “It’s amazing. It’s nice meeting the people. It’s nice coming out here where people are so excited about baseball. It’s great to get out here and meet the fans and have fun with the kids and interact.” Asked if there were any players he was excited to meet last weekend, Gordon said, “I look up to pretty much all these guys. I talk to (Byron) Buxton a lot, and he’s a really good guy. I kind of look to him a lot. And Torii Hunter, I watched him when I was growing up.” Next up for Gordon, he’ll head to Ft. Myers in early March to go to his first spring training. “I’m ready for it. I can’t wait to get there.” After seeing all the fans at Twins Fest and the atmosphere there, I think it’s fair to say that we all can’t wait. Nick Gordon is one player that fans will be watching and monitoring over the next several years. He’s got a world of talent and the potential to be an impact player for a long time. Those who spoke with him continue to speak of his great maturity, attitude and poise. It’s no wonder that the Twins scouts, and scouts from every team, liked him so much. Click here to view the article