Los Angeles Dodgers: Dee Gordon Has Been Dee-Lightful in Dodger Blue

On Tuesday night, Dodger shortstop Dee Gordon led off the game by hitting his first career home run—against the Colorado Rockies' Jhoulys Chacin.

As soon as ball met bat there was little doubt that it was a goner.

Obviously Gordon is not known as a slugger, but to the Los Angeles Dodgers he is a valuable commodity. While his service time with the big club has been limited, already this season Gordon leads the National League in stolen bases with 10.

Beyond that, when he does get on base, he has a tendency to score. Not including Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds, Gordon has appeared in 78 games for the Dodgers and scored 45 runs. 

To put that in perspective, in 2011 the New York Yankees' Curtis Granderson led all of baseball with 136 runs scored in 156 games played.

Granderson, of course was a top AL MVP vote recipient in 2011.

Gordon's stats in his 78 games equate to half of Granderson's season; they'd average out to Gordon scoring 90 runs in a full season.

While it may not sound all that impressive, it puts Gordon in the same conversation as such standout stars as Lance Berkman, Mark Teixeira and Austin Jackson.

I wouldn't exactly call that bad company to keep.

To the naked eye, Gordon's value is quite obvious. His speed on the basepaths coupled with his range in the field make him a solid player for the Dodgers.

The fact that he is only (barely) 24 years old means the kid has a lot of room to grow and develop. Watching him do so on this team, leading off for this lineup, has been and will continue to be an absolute pleasure for Dodger fans.