Nicholas Chad Gordon (born October 24, 1995) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

and

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

and

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

. He was selected by the Twins in the first round of the

2014 MLB draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

, and made his MLB debut with them in 2021.

Early life

Gordon attended Olympia High School in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. As a junior in 2013, he was the Florida Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. He hit .505 with two

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

and 30

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

as a batter and as a pitcher he was 5–1 with a 0.78

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), 44

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

and five saves in innings pitched. As a senior, he batted .512 with 6 home runs and 28 RBIs in 28 games, leading his team to the Class 8A regional semifinals. He signed a letter of intent to play baseball at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

Gordon was considered one of the top prospects for the

2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

. He was selected as the fifth overall pick in the first round by the

. He signed with the Twins on June 9, receiving a $3.851 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He was assigned to the

Elizabethton Twins The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their Major League Baseball, major league aff ...

where he batted .294 with one home run and 28 RBIs. He spent 2015 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels where he posted a .277 batting average with one home run, 58 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases. In 2016, he played for the Fort Myers Miracle, where, in 116 games, he batted .291 with three home runs and 52 RBIs. Gordon spent 2017 with the Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

where he batted .270 with a career high nine home runs and 66 RBIs. Gordon began the 2018 season with Chattanooga, hitting .333 over 42 games, before being promoted to the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, where he hit .212 with two home runs and 29 RBI in 99 games. The Twins added Gordon to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season. He was assigned to Rochester at the end of spring training. For the 2019 season he was limited to 70 games due to injury but played well, carrying a slash line of .298/.342/.459 in 319 plate appearances. Prior to the start of the 2020 season, Gordon tested positive for COVID-19. On April 23, 2021, Gordon was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. On April 26, Gordon was optioned to the alternate training site without making a major league appearance. On May 3, Gordon was recalled to the active roster. He made his MLB debut on May 6 as the starting second baseman against the Texas Rangers. In the game, he registered his first stolen base and his first major league hit, a single off of Rangers starter Jordan Lyles. On June 4, Gordon hit his first major league home run, a solo shot off of

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

reliever Wade Davis. On August 5, Gordon was optioned down to Triple-A St. Paul Saints to make room for Rob Refsnyder, who had been taken off the 10-day

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. On August 30, 2022, Gordon hit his first career grand slam off of Ryan Brasier of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

as part of a six–RBI performance. In 2022, Gordon played in 136 games for Minnesota, hitting .272/.316/.427 with 9 home runs, 50 RBI, and 6 stolen bases. His home run and RBI tallies were both career-highs. On May 17, 2023, in a game against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, Gordon fouled a pitch off of his right shin and was replaced by Kyle Farmer in the bottom of the inning. He was later diagnosed with a fractured right

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

and placed on the 60-day injured list on May 29. Prior to the 2024 season Gordon's salary was set by a team of arbiters at $900,000.

Miami Marlins

On February 11, 2024, the Twins traded Gordon to the

in exchange for Steven Okert. In 95 games for the Marlins, he batted .227/.258/.369 with eight home runs, 32 RBI, and five stolen bases. On August 5, Gordon was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by Miami. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on August 8. Gordon elected free agency on October 10.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 31, 2024, Gordon signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. He played in four games for the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

, going 4-for-13 (.308) with one stolen base.

Kansas City Royals

On April 5, 2025, the Orioles traded Gordon to the

in exchange for cash considerations. In 16 appearances for the Triple-A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

, he batted .260/.327/.320 with four RBI and two stolen bases. Gordon was released by the Royals organization on May 1.

Personal life

His father,

Tom Gordon Thomas Gordon (born November 18, 1967), nicknamed "Flash", is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher and current radio color commentator for the Boston Red Sox. Gordon played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kan ...

, played in the major leagues from 1988 to 2009. His paternal half-brother, Dee Strange-Gordon, also played in the major leagues.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Nick 1995 births Living people Baseball players from Orlando, Florida Cedar Rapids Kernels players Chattanooga Lookouts players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Major League Baseball infielders Miami Marlins players Minnesota Twins players Norfolk Tides players Omaha Storm Chasers players Rochester Red Wings players St. Paul Saints players Surprise Saguaros players