Dee Gordon

Dee Gordon
Los Angeles Dodgers — No. 9
Shortstop
Born: April 22, 1988 (1988-04-22) (age 23) Windermere, Florida
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 6, 2011 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Career statistics (through 2011 season)
Batting average	.304
Runs	34
Stolen Bases	24
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
NL Rookie of the Month (Sept. 2011)

Devaris "Dee" Strange-Gordon (born April 22, 1988 in Windermere, Florida) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball.

Baseball career

Prep and college

Despite being the son of Major League pitcher Tom Gordon, the younger Gordon did not take up baseball until his high school years, having previously dedicated himself to basketball. Gordon played at Avon Park High School (like his father), Seminole Community College and Southeastern University, all in central Florida. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.^[1]

Minor leagues

In 2008 with the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League he hit .331 in 60 games. With the Great Lakes Loons in 2009, Gordon hit .301 and stole 73 bases. He was named the MVP of the Midwest League, selected to its mid-season and post-season All-Star teams and selected as its "Prospect of the year".^[2][3] The Dodgers also selected him as their "Minor League Player of the Year".^[4][5] In 2010, he was with the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Double-A Southern League and was selected to represent the Lookouts in the All-Star game but was unable to play because he was also selected to the All-Star Futures Game. He hit .277 in 133 games in 2010, while stealing 53 bases and committing 37 errors. He played for Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rico Baseball League after the season. He was assigned to the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes at the start of 2011.

Los Angeles Dodgers

At the start of 2011 he was the Dodgers' best prospect according to Baseball America.^[6] After an injury to shortstop Rafael Furcal, the Dodgers purchased Gordon's contract on June 6, 2011 and he made his major league debut in the top of the ninth as a pinch runner against the Philadelphia Phillies that night, and scored a run.^[7] His father was in attendance.^[8] The next day, in his first start, he had hits in his first three major league at bats and stole a base. In a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on July 1, Gordon stole second, third and home in the same inning. He became the first Dodger player since Harvey Hendrick in 1928 and the first Major Leaguer since Jayson Werth on May 12, 2009 to accomplish that feat.^[9] Gordon appeared in 56 games for the Dodgers, hitting .304 with 24 stolen bases. He also stole 30 bases for the Isotopes, giving him a total of 54 between the Majors and the Minors in 2011. Despite playing in just 56 games for the Dodgers, Gordon's 24 stolen bases were tied for the most by a rookie during the 2011 season. ^[10]

Personal

Gordon's father is former Major League Baseball player Tom Gordon.^[11] When Devaris was 6 years old, his mother Devona Strange was murdered by an ex-boyfriend. Tom Gordon, who had been Devona's high school sweetheart, gained custody of Devaris and raised him with the help of his own mother.^[12][13] Dee followed in his father's footsteps when he appeared in the Midwest League All-Star game, just as his father did 21 years before.^[14]

References

1. ^ Dodgers Take Strange-Gordon In MLB Draft
2. ^ Record Seven Loons Named to All-Star Team
3. ^ Gordon named MVP, top prospect
4. ^ Dodgers name top Minor Leaguers
5. ^ Dee Gordon Named Dodgers Top Farmhand
6. ^ Los Angeles Dodgers top 10 prospects
7. ^ Nicholson-Smith, Ben. "Dodgers Designate Gibbons, Castro For Assignment". MLBTradeRumors.com. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/06/dodgers-designate-gibbons-castro-for-assignment.html. Retrieved 6 June 2011. 
8. ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=310606122
9. ^ Gordon gets his stolen-base trifecta
10. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20110929&content_id=25388608&vkey=pr_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
11. ^ Family ties abound with recent draft picks
12. ^ http://blogs.delawareonline.com/philledin/2008/05/30/may-30-flash-the-next-generation/
13. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/phillies/2006-07-13-gordon_x.htm
14. ^ Notebook: Gordon follows in dad's footsteps

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Persondata
Name	Gordon, Dee
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 22, 1988
Place of birth	Windermere, Florida
Date of death
Place of death