Potential Dodger Success In October Starts With Dee Gordon

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It is no secret that the Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the deepest teams in Major League Baseball which is evident by their payroll of $216 million this season. The Dodgers are currently leading the National League West as they are closing in on their second consecutive division title. But the Dodgers have not won the NL Pennant since 1988 which is tied for the longest stretch in franchise history without a World Series appearance. The Dodgers made the National League Championship Series last October, but they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in six games. The Dodgers had the talent, but the Cards had the experience and they knew how to seize the moment in that series as they were clicking on all cylinders. In the postseason runs tend to come at a premium and teams need to do anything possible to score those runs. But the Dodgers have a guy at the top of their lineup that can make things happen in second baseman Dee Gordon.

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Dee Gordon

At 5’11”, 170 lbs., Gordon is all about pure speed. The Dodgers drafted Gordon in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB Draft and by 2011 he was ready for The Show. In his three previous years with the Dodgers, Gordon never played a full year primarily because he was unable to stay healthy. But Gordon is putting it altogether in 2014. Gordon has appeared in 136 games this season and he is leading the National League in stolen bases with 59. The Dodgers have not had a player that could steal bases like Gordon can since the days of current Dodgers first base coach Davey Lopes who played with the club from 1972-1981 and they will need him to be on point in the playoffs.

The Dodgers have power in the heart of their lineup in the form of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, along with outfielders Yasiel Puig, and Matt Kemp. As much as Gonzalez, Ramirez, Puig, and Kemp can hit the long ball, the home run is not as big if they are coming to the plate with the bases empty as the solo homer is not as effective as the three-run variety which is where Gordon comes into play. This season Gordon is batting .299 with a .329 on-base percentage, and 31 walks. Gordon’s speed on the bases allows the big boppers that are behind him in the the Dodgers lineup to see more fastballs at the plate which they can tee off on.

At 26-years of age Gordon is still learning plate discipline and he cannot be fazed by the big October stage as he is the son former MLB pitcher Tom Gordon who himself pitched in the MLB Playoffs for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies. The younger Gordon was on the Dodgers postseason roster last year, but he was used as a pinch runner as he only saw the field for two games. This time around Gordon has to be the table setter for Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. But Gordon is rounding into someone that Mattingly can rely on. The days of Gordon being shipped down to AAA appear to be a thing of the past as he was selected to his first National League All-Star team this summer.

Heading into October, the Dodgers have one of the most complete teams in baseball. Los Angeles has good starting pitching in the form of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Relief pitcher Kenley Jansen is one the top closers in baseball while the Dodgers have one of the deepest lineups in MLB. But all of that could be mute if Gordon isn’t able to make the most of his four at-bats per game while getting the blood flowing for his Dodger teammates.

Source: Baseball-reference.com

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By | 2014-09-14T15:41:52+00:00 September 14th, 2014|Categories: Major League Baseball|Tags: , , |0 Comments

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