Baseball can be cruel – very cruel. It can pass you by in an instant.

If and when you ever get that magic call up from the minors to ‘The Show’ (as the players call it), two things need to happen – 1) you cannot, absolutely cannot get hurt, and 2) you must, absolutely must be successful. If either of these things do not happen, you will be sent back down to the minor leagues and you may never get another shot. Like I said, baseball can be very cruel.

The very first time I laid eyes on Dee Gordon he was 21 years old. It was at Camelback Ranch during spring training 2010 and I was very impressed with the kid. My friend Gary Smith and I spent several days watching Gordon on the minor league backfields and even watched him play in a couple spring training games with the Big club. He was blazing fast, he spent a lot of extra time working on his defense at shortstop and took extra BP whenever he could. It was clear that he knew what it took to get that magic call, having grown up watching his father Tom “Flash” Gordon play in the majors for an incredible 21 seasons.

There wasn’t anyone who worked harder than Dee Gordon did during spring training 2010.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Gordon got that magic call on June 6, 2011 to fill in for injured Dodger shortstop Rafael Furcal. In his MLB debut as a pinch runner he scored the only run in a 3-1 loss to the Phillies. The following day he made his first start at shortstop and had hits in his first three major league at bats and stole a base. On July 1, Gordon stole second, third and home in the same inning against the Angels, thus becoming the first Dodger player to do so since Harvey Hendrick in 1928.

When the oft injured Furcal was traded to the Cardinals at the July 31 trade deadline, Gordon became the Dodgers everyday shortstop for the remainder of the 2011 season. And though he remained healthy and hit a very impressive .304, he could only manage a .325 on-base percentage and committed 10 errors in 218 chances for a rather dismal .954 fielding percentage in the 56 games in which he appeared.

Gordon began the 2012 season as the Dodgers starting shortstop but struggled both offensively and defensively. On July 4, he tore the UCL in his right thumb while successfully stealing third base against the Reds and was lost to the disabled list for more than two months.

Gordon’s fate as the Dodgers everyday shortstop was sealed on July 25, 2012 when the Dodgers acquired three-time All-Star shortstop and 2009 NL batting champ Hanley Ramirez from the Miami Marlins. Even though Ramirez had spent all of the 2012 season at third base for the Marlins (having reluctantly yielded the shortstop position to José Reyes) the Dodgers made it known that they had acquired Ramirez to eventually become their everyday shortstop. Ramirez began play with the Dodgers at third base but eventually returned to his natural shortstop position. It took exactly 8 games and Ramirez hasn’t played third base for the Dodgers since.

Upon his return from the DL on September 11, 2012, Gordon was utilized primarily as a pinch runner for the remainder of the 2012 season. He finished with a .228 average and an abysmal .280 OBP. To make matters worse, he committed 18 errors in 331 chances during 2012 for a non-MLB caliber .946 FPCT. So much for that ‘must be successful’ thing.

Even after Ramirez injured his right thumb during the final game of the 2013 World Baseball Classic and began the 2013 regular season on the disabled list, Gordon began the 2013 season at Triple-A Albuquerque. He was eventually called back up to the Dodgers on May 4, 2013 when Ramirez suffered a subsequent hamstring injury but was optioned back to Triple-A after hitting only .175 in 19 games. He was recalled again in August when Ramirez injured his right shoulder while running into the stands after making a catch in foul territory. During this short stretch, Gordon committed four errors in four games, including three in one game, and was sent back to Albuquerque when Ramirez returned a week later.

Gordon was called back up to the Dodgers when rosters expanded on September 1 but was used almost exclusively as a pinch runner during the stretch run. He stole 10 bases in 12 attempts and also made three brief experimental appearances at second base during September where he made no errors in four chances.

Because of his speed, Gordon was included on both the 2013 NLDS and NLCS rosters to be used exclusively as a pinch runner. Gordon took some criticism during Game-1 of the NLCS when he was brought into the game in the top of the 8th inning of a tied (2-2) ballgame to pinch run for Adrian Gonzalez, the Dodgers leading run producer, who had drawn a walk. With no outs, Gordon made no attempt to steal second base and was eventually forced out at second on a fielders choice ground ball off the bat of Yasiel Puig on the third pitch of the at bat. Puig was subsequently erased at second base when Juan Uribe hit into a 4-6-3 double. The Dodgers ended up losing the game 3-2 in 13 innings. It was a game that the Dodgers absolutely should have won and why Gordon made no attempt to steal, which was why he was inserted into the game and included on the playoff roster, shall forever remain a mystery.

After being eliminated from the NLCS by the Cardinals in six games, it was decided that the now 25-year-old Gordon would play winter ball for Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic Winter League, which he is currently doing – as a center fielder. But with the Dodgers currently having four very highly paid outfielders on their roster in Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig and with top outfield prospects Joc Pederson (who is also playing winter ball in Venezuela) and Scott Schebler tearing it up Down on the Farm, the chances of Gordon seeing even one inning in the outfield for the Dodgers (other than during spring training) are rather remote.

Although Gordon was on the Dodgers postseason roster as a pinch runner, he worked out in the outfield during BP and is playing center field in the Dominican Republic Winter League.
(Photo credit – Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Having played a few innings at second base during his September call-up and now playing center field in winter ball, it appears that the Dodgers are attempting to expand Gordon’s versatility to possibly increase his trade value as a utility infielder/outfielder. There’s only one problem with this – he can’t hit major league pitching and there are far better free agent utility infielder/outfielder choices out there this off-season including Skip Schumaker and Jerry Hairston Jr., who most likely will not be re-signed by the Dodgers.

If the Dodgers do not trade Gordon this off-season and he remains on their 40-man roster, he will most likely begin the 2014 season in Albuquerque again. He is arbitration eligible in 2015 but barring a miracle, he will probably be non-tendered and sent on his way into free agency.

Do I want Dee Gordon to remain a Dodger? Absolutely – he is a great kid and extremely polite. Does he have a future with the team? Maybe as a pinch runner and occasional defensive replacement at short, second and centerfield, but other than that, he stands a far better chance of becoming an everyday MLB player with a team other than the Dodgers.