New CF Dee Gordon brings ‘a little bit of an edge’ to Mariners
Apr 2, 2018, 6:41 PM | Updated: 6:59 pm
Dee Gordon got some serious hang time after hitting his first Mariners home run. (AP)
(AP)
The Mariners’ new center fielder is still better known for playing a different position. And even though he hit a pretty key home run in Sunday’s 5-4 win that clinched a series victory over the Cleveland Indians, he’s certainly not known for his power at the plate.
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Whatever Dee Gordon is, Mariners manager Scott Servais is happy to have him on his team.
“I absolutely love the excitement and the energy he brings, and I think our guys are feeding off that,” Servais told Mike Salk and guest host Jesse Jones on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock and Salk Monday. “You need a couple guys that have a little swag to him, stick their chest out… and he gets under the skin of the other team a little bit.”
Everyone's a fan of the way @FlashGJr plays.
More in Scott Servais's interview this morning on @710ESPNSeattle. https://t.co/SkYaBEqx5Y pic.twitter.com/DMJJ5JEu4U
— Mariners (@Mariners) April 3, 2018
Gordon, 29, came to the Mariners in an offseason trade from the Miami Marlins. It was a head-scratching move at the time by general manager Jerry Dipoto, who picked up Gordon, a Gold Glove-winning second baseman, to play center field.
While Gordon had never played the outfield in the majors, the three-time National League stolen base leader’s speed has already proven valuable at his new position.
“I’ve talked about (Gordon’s energy) all spring, and people were kind of just, ‘Yeah, yeah, whatever, it’s just the manager talking.’ But I think you saw it kind of play out here just in the opening series, the number of nice catches in center field. A couple of those catches he made it look easy, and they’re not easy,” Servais said.
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That would definitely be the case with his sliding grab to rob Cleveland’s Jason Kipnis of an extra-base hit on Sunday.
The son of former MLB reliever Tom Gordon, Dee marches to the beat of a different drummer in the clubhouse, but it’s all part of a process that has proven to work for the two-time All-Star leadoff man.
“He goes about his business and he’s prepared very well. He does have a little bit different routine… his routine usually includes eating a cheeseburger at some point in the day,” Servais said. “That’s just how he’s wired. … It works for him, but it’s real.
“Dee’s just being Dee. He does bring a little bit of an edge to our team, which I think we needed.”
You can hear more from Servais on Gordon as well his thoughts on Mitch Haniger, Robinson Cano and the rest of the Mariners in the full interview here.
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