Top pick Gordon looks to have big year for Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS – Two years ago, a 19-year-old kid who was a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins came here and set the city, the Twin Cities and the baseball nation on its ear with his talent and production.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels couldn't get that lucky again, could they?

There are a lot of similarities in the stories of 2015 Kernels shortstop Nick Gordon and aforementioned 2013 outfielder Byron Buxton. It's impossible to ignore them.

Both come from the Deep South and were considered the top prep position player in the country their respective draft year. Both were taken top five overall (Buxton second in 2012 and Gordon fifth last year) and signed professional baseball contracts with life-altering bonuses (Buxton $6 million and Gordon $3.85 million).

Both were less than a year removed from high school when they played (or, in Gordon's case, will play) their first Midwest League game. The Kernels' season opener is Thursday night at Kane County.

Buxton parlayed an unforgettable half-season in Cedar Rapids into a promotion and into becoming baseball's top prospect. To expect Gordon to follow identical suit is completely unfair and unrealistic, though it is fair to wonder if his prospect status will rise significantly by the time he's done here, whenever that is.

'We'd like Nick to be Nick, obviously,” said Kernels Manager Jake Mauer, whose team arrived in town Monday from spring training in Fort Myers, Fla. 'The pedigree he has, his father and his brother were both really good players and really good people. He comes here and does what I think he's going to do, he's going to have a really good year. A really good year.”

To stress, Gordon is a completely different player than Buxton at a completely different position. Right now, he is more of a singles-hitter from the left side of the plate whom Mauer thinks can develop some power as he matures physically.

Gordon said he added 10 pounds of muscle over the winter and checks in at 6 feet and about 185 pounds. One of the best things about the Winter Garden, Fla., is his genes, as his father is former longtime major league pitcher Tom Gordon and his half-brother Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins.

'My dad never pushed baseball on us,” Nick Gordon said. 'But being around it, I ended up loving the game so much. It was something me and my brother wanted to do. That made my dad very happy. Baseball is a big thing for our family. Being around the park every day, you can't ask for anything better than that.”

Nick, the youngest of Tom's five children, said he remembers being in major league clubhouses at a very young age and cherished getting to meet and know so many players. Derek Jeter is his idol.

Tom 'Flash” Gordon pitched in the bigs for an amazing 21 years, but his boys both ended up being middle infielders.

'He has been around the ballpark a lot, and you can tell,” Mauer said. 'He has a pretty good feel, good hands. He has quick hands at the plate, a quick bat. As he matures, I think he's going to have a little power. At shortstop, he's very steady … I wouldn't say he's flashy, but he's able to go get it. He's not a burner by any stretch, but he runs average, pretty good. He's got some baseball savvy, you can tell he's been around a little bit.”

The Kernels will hit Gordon number two in the batting order, Mauer said, which seems a good fit for his skill set. Gordon, who hit ..294 in 57 games last season in Rookie ball, said he is more than ready for his first taste of full-season ball and his first taste of cold weather.

He has gotten pointers on what it'll be like. Both Tom and Dee Gordon played in the Midwest League: Tom with the Appleton Foxes in 1986 and Dee with the Great Lakes Loons in 2009.

'It feels good to be out of Florida for a little bit, get some new scenery,” Gordon said. 'Getting up here to Iowa, I'm kind of excited about it. Better competition, better ballparks, just moving up, it's a good thing. Experiencing some different weather, it's pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to it.

'(My brother) told me it would be cold here. He did. But he told me to just go out and play your game, and you'll do well. Just stay within yourself and stuff like that. Don't try to be too much, be too big, and always stay humble.”

Gordon got to use the perks of having a former big-league dad by working out over the winter with hall of famer Barry Larkin. Their workouts mostly dealt with the defensive aspects of shortstop: footwork, other mechanical and mental things.

'Nick's going to work hard,” Mauer said. 'He's a great teammate. The guys enjoy being around him.”

'In baseball, pressure is with everyone, no matter where you were drafted, no matter what kind of player you are,” Gordon said. 'When you're on the field, there is pressure. Being a baseball player, you kind learn to deal with all that.”

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