Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45
There are certain expectations of a player when he's a top five pick in the Draft and has MLB bloodlines. Gordon, the son of former big league pitcher Tom, and Dee's brother, was taken No. 5 overall in the 2014 Draft and in many ways has been chasing the status attached with his name and position in the Draft. While he hasn't been the elite-level player some hoped he would be, he did perform extremely well in Double-A and reached Triple-A at age 22, though he struggled mightily upon his arrival.
Things started off well enough in 2018 for Gordon, who was having a bit of a breakout offensively when he hit .333 with a .906 OPS in the Southern League and earned a bump up a level in late May. After hitting well initially, the wheels came off and his struggles snowballed. One of the biggest causes for the fade, something that also happened in 2017, was a lack of strength that led to questions of durability. To his credit, Gordon learned a lesson last year and worked hard this offseason to add strength. When he's doing well, he has an excellent line-drive approach that leads to good contact, and he showed early on last year that there is some extra-base authority in his left-handed swing.
An average runner, Gordon won't wow anyone on the basepaths or in the field, but his plus instincts help him steal bases and be more than capable on both sides of second base and still have the chance to be a solid big-league regular. The game punched him in the mouth in 2018; now it's time to see how much he can punch back. Transactions Team Date Transaction 10/08/2019 Minnesota Twins activated SS Nick Gordon. 09/30/2019 Minnesota Twins recalled SS Nick Gordon from Rochester Red Wings. 08/05/2019 Rochester Red Wings placed SS Nick Gordon on the 7-day injured list retroactive to August 3, 2019. Left lower leg contusion 05/21/2019 Rochester Red Wings activated SS Nick Gordon from the 7-day injured list. 05/14/2019 Rochester Red Wings placed SS Nick Gordon on the 7-day injured list retroactive to May 13, 2019. Left adductor strain. 05/02/2019 Rochester Red Wings activated SS Nick Gordon from the 7-day injured list. 04/01/2019 Rochester Red Wings placed SS Nick Gordon on the 7-day injured list. 03/12/2019 Minnesota Twins optioned SS Nick Gordon to Rochester Red Wings. 11/19/2018 Minnesota Twins selected the contract of Nick Gordon from Rochester Red Wings. 05/22/2018 SS Nick Gordon assigned to Rochester Red Wings from Chattanooga Lookouts. 02/06/2018 Minnesota Twins invited non-roster SS Nick Gordon to spring training. 07/10/2017 Chattanooga Lookouts activated SS Nick Gordon from the temporarily inactive list. 07/07/2017 Chattanooga Lookouts placed SS Nick Gordon on the temporarily inactive list. 04/06/2017 SS Nick Gordon assigned to Chattanooga Lookouts from Fort Myers Miracle. 01/06/2017 Minnesota Twins invited non-roster SS Nick Gordon to spring training. 05/11/2016 Fort Myers Miracle activated SS Nick Gordon from the 7-day disabled list. 05/04/2016 Fort Myers Miracle placed SS Nick Gordon on the 7-day disabled list. 04/04/2016 SS Nick Gordon assigned to Fort Myers Miracle from Cedar Rapids Kernels. 04/06/2015 SS Nick Gordon assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels from Elizabethton Twins. 06/10/2014 SS Nick Gordon assigned to Elizabethton Twins. 06/09/2014 Minnesota Twins signed SS Nick Gordon.
