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Nick Gordon was one of the youngest players in the Southern League in 2017. He was an All Star and played in the Futures Game. Despite a strong showing in spring training with the Twins, Gordon returned to Chattanooga to start the 2018 where he was again one of the youngest players in the league. Last month, he was promoted to Triple-A Rochester where he is again one of the youngest in the league. Recently we caught up with the talented 22-year-old about his season, but we also asked him about his music debut and some of his rap influences.Nick Gordon went to big league camp this year as a non-roster invite for the second straight year. When he was sent back to minor league camp, Paul Molitor was asked about his spring. Molitor said, “I think he was a lot more comfortable. We saw him swinging the bat pretty well for the most part. We saw him on both sides of the base defensively. There's still some work to be done there in terms of consistency. You have to be pleased with the way he's progressed offensively. His at-bats were really competitive when he got the opportunity to play.“ So it was surprising to most when the season began and he was sent back to Chattanooga. Gordon took the decision in stride. “They pretty much have a plan for me, and I trust what they have.” Gordon continued, “There was a thing that I have to develop and get better that I know as well. It’s all about learning, becoming a better player, a better teammate, all those things. It all goes into being a great player regardless of AA or AAA. Whenever they felt I was ready for AAA, they made that decision.” Through 42 games with the Lookouts, Gordon was hitting .333/.381/.525 (.906) with 10 doubles, three triples, five homers and seven stolen bases. In late May, he finally got that call to move up to Triple-A Rochester. Through his first 34 games with the Red Wings, he has had some ups and downs. He’s hitting .256/.276/.357 (.633) with seven doubles and three homers. Gordon acknowledges that it has been an adjustment. “Definitely, pitchers mix up pitches pretty well. They command their offspeed pitches. You grow with the level, and guys here are definitely experienced. There are guys who have been in the big leagues and guys who are on the verge of being in the big leagues. So, it’s definitely guys who know how to command the strike zone. They don’t give in too much.” Gordon got off to a fast start, and then he struggled, and that’s where the adjustments come. In AAA, he does have those veteran types to use as mentors, to ask questions and to watch them work. “I definitely try to learn as much as I can from my teammates, and guys that you play against here and have been in the big leagues and done great things. You look at the things they do and you take from that and you learn from that. Definitely being young in the game, there is a lot to learn. So I just try to take it all in, sit back and hear what everybody has to say, try new things, see what works for me and works for my game.” Last summer, Nick Gordon had just finished playing in the Futures Game when we talked to him. He had just met Christina Milian and got his picture with her. We talked baseball, but we also talked music. Music is an important part of Gordon’s life for a variety of reasons. This offseason, he put out his first single under his stage name “G Cinco.” I’m the Man became a very popular song and video on YouTube and people started talking about Nick Gordon, the rapper. Over the course of the offseason, he dropped , an online album full of songs that he wrote and recorded. It wasn’t necessarily something he was planning on doing. Asked if it was in the plans when we talked a year ago, Gordon said, “Not really. It just kind of happened. It spontaneously happened. People heard the song and they went online and it took off from there.” Unlike playing baseball, Gordon didn’t have goals or expectations for gauging his music’s success. It’s just something that he enjoys, and he feels that it has helped him on the baseball field as well. “ “The game of baseball comes with a lot of pressure, but that’s what we signed up for. Music is... sometimes you just need to clear your mind. To be honest, it helps me keep my focus. There are things in my music that are toward the game of baseball. That music puts me in a place where I feel like I can get a lot done.” Fans have enjoyed it, but so have his teammates, friends and others around the game. He says that his teammates “all enjoy it. They play it. Kind of mess around with it.” Gordon continued, “I’ve actually had a couple of people walk up to it. (Dan) Vogelbach plays with my brother. He walked up to it. Sweeney walks up to it. We’ve got a Low A pitcher who walks up to it as his song. We’ve got some guys who enjoy it. I hear a lot from people who listen to it and things like that. It’s definitely fun to get a reaction from those guys.” He also recorded several videos for his songs with his friends. “It was pretty cool. It was a couple of my guys that I get to hang out with in the offseason, some of my best friends that I grew up with. We have fun with it and act crazy on camera and do whatever comes to mind. We enjoy it.” Gordon’s music is unique. So who does he model his rap style after, and what is important to him about it? “I wouldn’t say I model myself after anyone. I like all music that has meaning to it,where you can kind of relate to it. So much is things that sound good, the party beats and things like that. They don’t catch my attention. I like the songs that make you feel good. I like music with a meaning. I like artists that can tell stories. I like listening to Drake a lot because of the lyrics, and J. Cole. The music they make, it’s relatable. That’s the kind of music I like ot listen to.” He’s heard from some people in the rap industry. He’s seen his music posted by others in the music business on social media sites. “Just to see that is pretty cool.” However, it is important for Nick Gordon to make sure people know what is most important to him. “All in all, I’m a baseball player. For me, hopefully someday, I’ll be on ESPN rather than MTV.” When the interview added, “Or both?,” Gordon laughed and agreed, “Or both… yeah!” So yes, back to baseball. Gordon puts in early work often throughout the week. He understands that while he is one step from the big leagues, there are still things that he needs to improve upon. There is one thing that he is focusing on most right now. “Definitely trusting myself instinctually defensively. That’s definitely something for me that I’ve been working on day in and day out here. Being an athlete, it’s a process. I definitely feel like I’m progressing. I know I can swing the bat. I know I can put the bat on the ball. It’s about fine-tuning and becoming a professional hitter. It’s not just about making contact. It’s not just about base hits. It’s about having an approach. Having a plan at the plate. Staying disciplined.” With the Lookouts, Gordon played 34 games at shortstop and six games at second base. Since joining the Red Wings, he has played 25 games at shortstop with nine games at second. Since Gregorio Petit was outrighted back to the Red Wings, the two have alternated between the two positions. That’s something that Gordon is completely on board with. “I feel good at both. I get a lot of work at both. I’m playing second tonight. I feel comfortable around the base on both sides, so it’s just about going out there and being an athlete.” At the same time, Gordon also acknowledges that being just one call away from the big leagues is exciting. It’s getting closer. “Definitely can’t wait for it. Feel like you’re so close and so far away and all you can do is work. Whatever is going to happen is going to take care of itself. But when that day does come, words won’t be able to explain it. It’s the same as when I got drafted, still the same excitement.” Nick Gordon enjoyed his success as G Cinco and it’s likely something that will continue in the offseason. He enjoys music, but he is a baseball player first and foremost. He’s following the dream that he’s had his entire life. Since he was young, he was often in big league clubhouses with his dad. His brother has won batting titles and stolen base titles, and he’s been an All Star. But Nick Gordon is following his own path, making his own waves. That big league life and storyline will likely begin soon, and he’s going to enjoy it. “For me, I’m blessed to have a uniform on, so whether it’s AA or AAA or the big leagues, I’m just grateful to be playing the game.” Click here to view the article

2018 has been an interesting year for Jake Cave, full of twists and turns, ups and downs. He just might be on the verge of joining the Twins again this week. After spending the majority of his professional career in the New York Yankees system, he was traded to the Twins late in spring training. With two more option years remaining after 2018, the roller coaster ride may just be beginning for the 25-year-old outfielder. Recently, Twins Daily caught up with the outfielder to get to know him.Jake Cave grew up in Virginia where he enjoyed watching AL East baseball. “I was an Orioles fan. I liked the Orioles and the Red Sox actually. And, I was a huge Cal Ripken Jr fan growing up. That was my guy to watch growing up. He was my favorite of all-time.” At the same time, he was working his way up the amateur ranks in Hampton, first at Hampton Christian and then at Kecoughtan. Following his senior season, he was drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round. He had a difficult decision to make. Professional baseball or college ball at one of the top baseball programs in the country? “I was committed to LSU, but really, I wanted to play pro ball. I wanted to play baseball. I had to play the cards right, and commit and let teams know that I was OK with going to college. But in reality, I wanted to get my career started.” He signed and went to the Yankees Gulf Coast League affiliate. In his first game, he got into a collision with the catcher at home plate. He fractured his kneecap. He missed the rest of the 2011 season and all of the 2012 season. He returned in 2013 and spent the full season in Low A ball. He split 2014 between High-A and Double-A ball. He spent most of the 2015 season at Double-A Trenton. While he always had a lot of tools, the stats didn’t necessarily show up early in his career. He put up real solid numbers, but there was always a hint that there was more in him, and as he moved up, the stat lines started to catch up to the tools. Following that 2015 season, the Cincinnati Reds made Cave their Rule 5 pick. He stuck with them right until the end of spring training when he was returned to the Yankees. Certainly there was some disappointment in not making the team, but it was something that Cave enjoyed and learned a lot from. “It was a great experience to be in another organization. To get to spend time with Jay Bruce and Joey Votto and guys like that was awesome. Obviously I was a little bummed to be sent back, but I feel like I got better for it. It was a really fun experience.” Upon returning to the Yankees, Cave played with a new confidence. In 2016, he started back in AA, but after about a month, he moved up to AAA. He received an invitation to Yankees big league camp in 2017 and had a terrific season in Scranton/Wilkes Barre. He hit .324/.367/.554 (.921) with 13 doubles and 15 home runs.The stat line had finally caught up to the tools. “I was always thought about as a guy who could run a little bit, and I could hit. The stats just weren’t showing what I knew I could do. When I came back from the Reds, it was one of those thing where, I just played a full big league camp with some really good players and I showed that I deserved to be there. I said, ‘I’m just going to go out and play and try to drive the ball a little more and play with a little more confidence.’ Ever since then, I’ve felt great.” The Yankees added him to their 40-man roster last November. He returned to big league camp, this time on the roster. But that’s when things started getting interesting and wheels started spinning frantically. “It was a crazy camp, for sure. It was one of those things where the Yankees were making a bunch of moves, and I had just been put on the roster. I had a feeling that something might happen. When I got DFAd, I knew there were teams that wanted to trade for me. I had no idea about the Twins. I kind of had to sit around for a full week. Then I got traded over to the Twins at the end of camp, so I really didn’t know too many people. It was a whole process that made this spring a little tough. I got to meet guys with the Twins, and I feel comfortable now.” The Twins sent right-handed pitcher Luis Gil to the Yankees in exchange for the outfielder. Gil, a 20-year-old who spent the last two years in the Dominican Summer League, has made one start for the Pulaski Yankees in the Appalachian League and gave up two runs in four innings. With just a week before Opening Day, Jake Cave arrived at the Twins clubhouse in Ft. Myers. Paul Molitor put him in the lineup that first day. “It was cool. I was glad I could get right into the lineup. I really hadn’t seen live pitching for a week, so I wanted to get out there and play. I’m glad they did that for me.” A couple of days later, he was sent down to minor league camp to really get ready for the start of the season. “Then when I got sent back to minor league camp, I got a lot of at bats, so I felt good. I was getting back into the baseball mentality and getting ready for the season.” In mid-May, Joe Mauer went on the Disabled List with a cervical strain and concussion-like symptoms. Sitting in Rochester, Jake Cave got a late-night call. It was a very exciting moment in the outfielder’s life. “It was awesome. I was freaking out. I got a call from the AAA manager. I made my first phone calls to my mom, my dad, my sister. Of course, it was at midnight. My sister and my mom answered, but my dad was asleep. I ended up calling my dad the next morning at 5:30 when I was at the airport waiting to get on a 6:00 flight. That was cool.” The memories continued as Cave arrived in Minneapolis. “It’s something you dream about forever. To walk into the clubhouse and see my name on the locker was indescribable. Walking around, shaking hands with the guys, Everyone saying Congrats. It’s pretty breathtaking, it’s pretty cool. I will never forget it.” The game started and Cave found himself in the lineup. But was his family able to get to Target Field on time? “They made it. Barely. My mom and sister made it in the first inning, and my dad made it like five minutes before my second at bat when I hit the home run, so it was pretty cool.” Speaking of pretty cool, Twins fans remember Cave’s second at bat which resulted in his first hit and his first big league home run. Cave has seen the video which is pretty much his memory of the moment. Can you imagine the feeling of your first hit? Now imagine it is a home run. What an amazing trip around the bases. “I think I kind of blacked out. Rounding the bases was the coolest feeling I’ve ever had. The guys were excited. I was excited. I saw the video and saw how excited my family was. It’s a moment I will never forget.” Since then, he has been sent back to Rochester. He was called up again and had a four-hit game. Needing pitching, Cave was optioned again. But it is clear that Jake Cave can help the Twins in 2018 and beyond. “I take pride in being able to play all three positions in the outfield. That can be a help for any outfielder. I’m playing mostly in the corner outfield here in AAA. The few starts I’ve had up there have been in centerfield, and I felt really comfortable with that. Everybody says you’re either going to hit or not going to hit, so I’m just going to keep going with that. To be able to come into the game late in left or right or center, or if I start a game in left or right or center, I just want to keep improving on that.” He’s had some solid mentors throughout the minor leagues, especially in the upper levels and Triple-A. “Whenever you have guys like (Gregorio) Petit and CC (Chris Carter), even if they’re not trying to give you a lesson, just being around them and seeing how they go about their business and play the game, it helps. I had some more guys like that with the Yankees. And Bobby Wilson, earlier in the year. These veterans, they just kind of go about their business in a different way. They’ve been around for awhile, and they don’t really let things hang over their head. They understand the ups and downs of the game, so I take that away from these guys.” There is still a little more than half of the season to go. Aside from getting back to the big leagues and potentially staying there, his goals are more process-driven. “I don’t have any big goals. Everybody says their goal is to get back to the big leagues. I just want to be consistent. I want to be consistent with my work, the same routine I use every day. My cage routine. Trying to do my routine in the weight room and in the training room to keep my body healthy. I just want to keep doing that all year because if I do that, then I will have results, and hopefully get back up there and see what happens.” Jake Cave will likely find himself making that Rochester to Minneapolis (or wherever the Twins are at the moment) flight, and probably a couple of Minneapolis to Rochester flights as well. But the 25-year-old clearly has a lot of talent and still has a lot of potential. He can hit. He can hit for some power. He can run. He’s pretty solid at all three outfield positions. Whether it is as a fourth outfielder or as a part-time starter, Jake Cave is a player that can help the Minnesota Twins win baseball games. “When they sent me down, they just told me to keep playing and they’ll be watching.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We’ll end with a couple of fun, get to know him a little bit more questions: What is your walk-up song? “I’ve had the same walk up song all year. It’s been Method Man and Redman, the Rock WAter. A little throwback rap music.” What is your favorite baseball movie? “Favorite baseball movie. That’s tough. It’s got to be either The Sandlot or For the Love of the Game. It’s a toss up. There’s Bull Durham and The Natural.” Click here to view the article

Ehire Adrianza has no business playing shortstop everyday, and Gregorio Petit has no business on an MLB roster. Ryan LaMarre should be nothing more than a fourth outfielder and pinch runner. And it’s way past time for the Minnesota Twins to call up Nick Gordon. This was originally published at FoulPlaybyPlay.com. The Ehire Adrianza Problem On Wednesday night in Minneapolis, Ehire Adrianza started at shortstop because Logan Morrison’s back was still a bit stiff, moving Miguel Sano to first base and Eduardo Escobar to third. Miguel playing first makes a lot of sense, but Adrianza being in the lineup with Gordon hitting .357 at AAA Rochester just doesn’t compute. Adrianza even had two doubles and drove in a run before booting a ball that led to a four-run sixth inning. Adrianza wasn’t given an error on the play. How I don’t know, but it was the play that forced the Twins to go to its bullpen, specifically, the overused Ryan Pressly. Pressly has appeared in 31 of the Twins’ 58 games, and he’s starting to show signs of fatigue. In his last three appearances, he’s allowed three earned runs over two innings, allowing four hits and a walk. The Pressly problem I’ll save for another rant. This rant is about never seeing Gregorio Petit and Ehire Adrianza in Twins uniforms again. Even if Gordon struggles to hit in the bigs, which hasn’t been a problem for him at any level, he’s better defensively and on the bases than Petit and Adrianza right now. Gordon is an Upgrade Defensively at Shortstop Adrianza is three runs below average over 1,200 innings at shortstop. Petit is 48 runs below average over 1,200 innings. And while I don’t have access to the same stat for Gordon, Baseball Reference does tell me his range factor per game (3.46) is higher than Adrianza’s (3.28) and Petit’s (2.67). Gordon is an Upgrade on the Bases It’s also safe to assume Gordon to be a better base runner than both Adrianza and Petit. I can’t tell you how many runs Gordon is worth on the bases, but I can tell you he’s faster than Adrianza and Petit. Baseball Prospectus’ editor Aaron Gleeman indicates as much with regards to Adrianza on Twitter. Adrianza and Petit have each cost the Twins a run on the bases this season and have combined for three stolen bases on four attempts. Gordon is seven of 11 on stolen base attempts this year. Gordon is an Upgrade at the Plate I know what you’re thinking: “It doesn’t matter how good Gordon is on the bases if he’s not on base.” Well, his batting average at AAA is higher than Adrianza’s on-base percentage and Petit’s batting average. Gordon is hitting .357 with an on-base percentage of .379. Adrianza’s on-base percentage sat at .281 at the time of this writing, and Petit’s average is .308 in 30 plate appearances. The Lineup with Gordon Assuming Morrison and Joe Mauer become available soon, which seems to be the case, you might think Adrianza’s playing time will diminish, and that’s true. But until Byron Buxton is healthy, which could take considerable time, LaMarre will still play center field, where Max Kepler is 35 runs above average over 1,200 innings to LaMarre’s -56. That’s a difference of 91 runs over 135 games. I don’t know about you, but I’d also rather have Nick Gordon’s bat in the lineup instead of LaMarre’s. LaMarre might be hitting a respectable .288 with a .681 OPS, but just three of his 18 hits have gone for extra bases. Consider this: Joe Mauer, 1B Brian Dozier, 2B Eddie Rosario, RF Miguel Sano, 3B Eduardo Escobar, LF Max Kepler, CF Logan Morrison, DH Mitch Garver, C Nick Gordon, SS I think this lineup is better defensively, better on the bases and better at the plate than Paul Molitor’s, but I’m not the reigning American League Manager of the Year. Molitor might not be able to convince president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine to call up Gordon, and I don't know what they're doing claiming Taylor Motter, but Molitor should be in their ear every day, because it’s way past time for the Minnesota Twins to call up Nick Gordon.

There was a flurry of roster activity Tuesday afternoon. The Twins announced that Miguel Sano would be placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive as of April 28. To take his spot on the roster, Gregorio Petit was promoted from Rochester, but to make room for him on the 40-man roster, Dietrich Enns was designated for assignment. Also, Tyler Kinley has been returned to the Marlins. Whew.Sano experienced tightness in his left hamstring during Friday's game and sat out the last three contests. Eduardo Escobar is expected to shift over to third base while Ehrie Adrianza takes over at shortstop. Sano's absence in the lineup has created a huge void. With Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco also inactive and Brian Dozier slumping, the Twins are severely lacking offensive punch against left-handers outside of the surging Escobar. The Blue Jays are scheduled to start right-handers the next two nights and they only feature one southpaw in their bullpen, so that flaw may not be exposed in the short term. Petit has hit .293/.323/.362 as the everyday shortstop for Rochester so far this season. He has 171 MLB games under his belt, previously playing for Oakland, Houston, the Yankees and Angels. He has a .643 OPS against major league pitching over his career. Enns, who was also in Rochester, has a 4.50 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 20 innings so far this season. That's come with a rather underwhelming 11 strikeouts and 11 walks. The soon to be 27-year-old was acquired from the Yankees last July. His left-handedness and ability to throw multiple innings could make him interesting for teams combing the waiver wire. Kinley gave up nine earned runs while recording 10 outs for the Twins. He was removed from the 25-man roster, giving the Miami Marlins the opportunity to bring him back, though it's a little surprising the Twins couldn't work out a trade to keep Kinley in the org. Click here to view the article

The Twins opened up a 5-1 lead at one point, but Thursday night’s series opener against the White Sox ended with Addison Reed serving up a walk-off homer to Trayce Thompson. Reed, pitching in his third straight game, has now given up five earned runs over his last seven outings.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot53.png Download attachment: WinEx53.png The more level-headed segments of Twins Territory have been preaching that things will get better once we start playing our lowly divisional opponents. Well, things aren’t off to a great start. Reed gave up the walk-off homer, but it was primarily the defense that allowed Chicago to sneak its way back into this game. Chicago scored its first run of the game in the third inning thanks to a missed catch error on shortstop Gregorio Petit. Adam Engel had drawn a one-out walk and stole second. Petit couldn’t corral the throw, allowing Engel to advance to third. He scored on a ground out the very next play. That didn’t seem like it’d be a big play after the Twins went up 5-1 in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a Logan Morrison homer. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen53.png Next Three Games Fri at CHW, 7:10 pm CT Sat at CHW, 6:10 pm CT Sun at CHW, 1:10 pm CT Last Three Games MIN 4, TOR 0: Fernandomania! TOR 7, MIN 4: WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!?!? TOR 7, MIN 5: Twins Can’t Recover After Another Poor Start by Lynn More From Twins Daily Twins Minor League Report (5/3): Royce Lewis Continues to Crush in A-Ball Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher Of The Month - April 2018 The Beginning of the End for Phil Hughes Click here to view the article