Prospect of the Day: Dee Gordon, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers

by John Sickels on May 4, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Dee Gordon, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Manning shortstop for Triple-A Albuquerque in the Pacific Coast League this year is Dee Gordon, considered one of the top infield prospects in the game. Baseball America ranked him at Number 26 on their pre-season Top 100 list, while I had him ranked at Number 32 on my pre-season Top 50 Hitters list. Steal-hungry fantasy owners have had their eye on Gordon for some time. When can we expect him in the majors?

Gordon was drafted in the fourth round in 2008 from Seminole Community College in Florida. Although his father Tom was a major league pitcher, Gordon was fairly raw when drafted. Speed is his best attribute, rating at a strong 70 on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale. He hit .277/.332/.355 with 53 swipes last year for Double-A Chattanooga. He doesn't have much power, but scouts see him as a top-of-the-order player, assuming he maximizes his on-base percentage.
     Gordon is hitting .300/.356/.356 in 21 games for Albuquerque this year, picking up 11 steals in 13 attempts already. His .712 OPS is well below the current league average of .788. This is due to the lack of power: his .356 OBP is exactly league average. However, a league average OBP in Triple-A projects as a below average OBP in the majors, especially when the difference between hitting in Los Angeles and hitting in New Mexico is factored in.
     Gordon still has work to do. He isn't overmatched in terms of making contact, which is a good marker, but the lack of pop has become a significant handicap, given that he doesn't draw a lot of walks to goose his OBP. Right now his OBP is very dependent on his batting average. That's one thing if you're hitting .300, but .300 in Albuquerque could easily become .230 in LA. His defense is flashy but he still makes too many errors, another aspect of his game that needs to be sharpened.
     Jamey Carroll is a useful stopgap in the major league lineup, so there is no immediate pressure to promote Gordon barring an injury. He should be a September promotion, and we'll track his development this summer. Some sabermetrically-oriented analysts are souring on Gordon. I think that's premature given his athleticism, but it isn't crazy to worry that Gordon might not live up to his full potential..

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Very good, balanced writeup

You are more fair than I, when it comes to Gordon’s abilities. I guess I just haven’t understood the fuss around Gordon when there are really good shortstop prospects in the minor leagues right now - Nick Franklin, Hak- Ju Lee, Jurrickson Profar. Some evaluators have gone so far as to have Gordon ahaead of all three of these kids when drawing up a list of prospects. I do not get this at all.

All three of these guys are at least 2 and 1/2 years younger and all have a distinct ability to hit, that Gordon doesn’t have. Profar and lee profile to be at least as good, if not better, with the glove. Lee even runs just as well. Hmm, Lee runs better, hits better, fields just as well, and is 20. Why would Gordon be ranked higher than Lee again guys? That defies logic.

I recommend the highly underrated Hak-Ju Lee for a prospect of the day feature John, and I believe this is the first time I have ever requested anything since I’ve been here :)

"If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the baseball game." - Rickey Henderson

by casejud on May 4, 2025 10:05 AM EDT reply actions

Gordon

yeah, the hype certainly is plummeting a bit, but that is fine. The hype around Brett Wallace went to nothing the past few years, and he has performed very well in the early going this year.
Now, I agree, he needs to spend more time eating hamburgers, sure. But I have also read some first hand looks at him over at TBLA and they say his range is ridiculous. Major leaguers don’t get to balls he gets to.
Would I like him to hit for more power and get on base more….yes. of course. It only makes sense so he can utilize his speed on the basepaths.

TBLA also had video of Gordon scoring from 2b on a passed ball….go check it out.

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by Ray Guilfoyle on May 4, 2025 10:52 AM EDT reply actions

Yep, that will be his game

Tremendous range at SS, a good hit tool and impact speed. I don’t see him being able to put on much weight and he won’t ever hit for power. He will have to live by the line drive.

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by Jeff Reese on May 4, 2025 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Bottom line

He needs to learn to walk a little more and tighten up his defense. He may never become an elite offensive SS in MLB, but if he can get on base at a league average clip or better and play plus defense he will be a very valuable cost-controlled guy with game-changing speed.

by BFDC on May 4, 2025 11:00 AM EDT reply actions

PCL numbers

I don’t think the .300 average is that bad considering that as a non-power hitter, he isn’t being helped much by the dryer, thinner air. It would be interesting to know how many bunt or infield singles he has, and if he is spraying the ball to all fields.

I think that many of the prospecters that rate him high are probably considering the fantasy baseball value of stolen bases that he will bring.

by ballparkfranks on May 4, 2025 11:28 AM EDT reply actions

I’ve watched a number of their games and I don’t think too many of his hits are aided by the ballpark and wind/thin air. Most of his hits I’ve seen have been clean line drive singles and some infield hits.

by BFDC on May 4, 2025 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions

and grounders through the holes of course. He seems to be pretty good at staying on top of the ball.

by BFDC on May 4, 2025 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

he needs to get called up

so he can eat the real food in the major league clubhouse….so he can pack on the pounds. THEN, the power will appear, right?

Ray Guilfoyle
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www.minorleagueball.com

by Ray Guilfoyle on May 4, 2025 1:09 PM EDT reply actions

no

if his iso ever get’s to .100, i’d be surprised.

by apoxonbothyourhouses on May 4, 2025 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks for showing which side of the Gordon argument people who can't comprehend facetiousness land on.

by PissedMick on May 4, 2025 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I know the comp has been made

But I’m wondering how people with more expertise in prospecting rate Billy Hamilton in comparison to Gordon. They are both wire thin and exceptionally fast, but are there more similarities or will they follow different paths/have different measures of success moving up the ladder?

by OctaShields on May 4, 2025 2:23 PM EDT reply actions

Definitely similar

The biggest difference for me (other than age and level) is that I see Hamilton as a second baseman.

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by Jeff Reese on May 4, 2025 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Is there any significance to the fact that Hamilton had an ISO of .138

in the Pioneer league as a 19/20-year old and Gordon has failed to eclipse .100 ISO at any level, including the Pioneer league as a 20-year old? I don’t know much about the ballpark effects or whatever, but I’m wondering whether the difference is SSS-driven or Hamilton projects for at least more 2B/3B power. Is there any reason you think Hamilton won’t stick at SS?

by OctaShields on May 4, 2025 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions

His arm is probably going to necessitate the move

No, I don’t think the ISO difference is significant at all. Like Gordon, his extra base hits will be a product of line drive contact and utilizing his speed. I don’t see either having much of any power.

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by Jeff Reese on May 4, 2025 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

John, what line would you expect from him in the majors?

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by King Billy Royal on May 4, 2025 2:56 PM EDT reply actions

gordon

Hmmm….

If they played him now, I’d say something like .250/.310/.330. Long-term, if he develops as expected, he could hit .300 some years, about like what he’s doing at ABQ right now, with plenty of speed, some doubles and triples

by John Sickels on May 4, 2025 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks brother

I appreciate the response. Anybody have any idea why he didn’t start playing baseball till he was a senior in HS? Seems weird with his bloodlines.

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by King Billy Royal on May 4, 2025 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions

He preferred basketball

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by Jeff Reese on May 4, 2025 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions

He couldn't do both?

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by King Billy Royal on May 4, 2025 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm sure he could have

But the story I’ve always seen is that he was in to basketball as a kid and didn’t get turned onto baseball until much later in life than most baseball prospects.

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by Jeff Reese on May 4, 2025 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions

That is just weird

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by King Billy Royal on May 4, 2025 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions

maybe

Maybe, but you never know with kids. My 12-year-old has ZERO interest in baseball, but did inherit my love of history and science fiction.

My 5-year-old, on the other hand, loves watching baseball on TV. But he’s autistic and doesn’t talk or play games, so I don’t know how much he really understands.

by John Sickels on May 4, 2025 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions

True but you are not a former player

It seems pretty weird to me to have a former player’s son, who has spent his youth in big league parks, having little interest in baseball growing up. You would think he would at least play both sports for most of his high school career. Regardless, it will pretty cool to see Flash’s kid in the bigs one day.

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by King Billy Royal on May 4, 2025 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Certainly not unprecidented

Will Venable quit baseball after 9th grade to play basketball and only picked up the game again at Princeton on a whim.

by realitypolice on May 4, 2025 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions

having the baseball bloodlines often leads kids to love baseball

and always hanging around the clubhouse and all that we hear about players sons, but i’d argue that it can also go to the other end of the spectrum for alot of players kids , who don’t see it as exciting or fastpaced as basketball or football. I remember reading a Torii Hunter quote that his son couldn’t care less that he was an all star CF, but he idolized Lebron James.

by THESWAMI6 on May 4, 2025 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I think it had

something to do with the fact that his dad was a ballplayer, he wanted to be his own person. And he said he found it boring to watch/play baseball games when he was younger

by lakersdodgersyankees4life on May 4, 2025 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions