Gordon pitched primarily out of the bullpen in his first two years at the University of Oregon but didn’t see any game action at all as a junior in 2023 after undergoing internal brace surgery. He was a full-blown starter for the Ducks in 2024 with middling results (5.13 ERA, 87 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings) and went to the Mets as 13th-round pick that July, signing for $150,000. New York moved him to High-A Brooklyn to begin his first full season, and he earned a promotion to Double-A Binghamton in July.
The 6-foot right-hander’s biggest improvement in his early days as a pro has been the addition of an 83-85 mph kick change, following in the footsteps of Hayden Birdsong, Clay Holmes and others. It’s been extremely effective with a whiff rate near 40 percent at High-A as it dove below bats with tons of fade. The new grip makes sense because his 83-85 mph slider and mid-70s curveball both flash above-average with solid, tight break. Gordon isn’t a huge velocity guy with a fastball running around 92-94, touching 95, and he spreads his usage around that mix to keep batters guessing.
Gordon’s command improved in the early looks in the Eastern League, but with stuff moving different directions, he’ll need to work to keep the walk rate below 10 percent at the upper levels. The move to the kick change speaks well to his ability to adapt and take on new concepts, and he’s already one of the big success stories of the Mets’ 2024 Draft class.
