Dee Gordon: Dodgers Shortstop Will Bring Excitement to Los Angeles in 2012

Exciting and Fun to watch. These are not phrases often used to describe the Dodgers in 2011, amongst the smoldering wreckage left behind in Chavez Ravine by owner and bankrupt buffoon Frank McCourt.

Yet, these phrases will come in handy in 2012, when Dee Gordon is in the lineup at shortstop on Opening Day in San Diego.

One look at the tape and you’ll understand why.

Burning Up the Basepaths

“Dee’s fun to watch,” said Clayton Kershaw, LA’s favorite Cy Young son who, as it happens, is only a month older than his rookie teammate. “He’s fast, makes solid contact, gets some hits. When he gets on base, he’s fun to watch.”

That is, if you’re not the one who has to deal with him on the base paths. Gordon swiped 24 bags in just 233 plate appearances, a pace better than that of Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Bourn, who led the Majors with 61 steals in 722 plate appearances this season. Gordon’s deft feats of thievery are a testament to his incredible speed as well as his desire to put pressure on defenses at all times.

“He’s been aggressive on the bases,” said first-year manager Don Mattingly. “He’s kind of done that part of it. He’s gotten his hits, he’s gotten on base and he’s pretty much made all the plays.”

Particularly in September, when Dee got called up for his second stint of the season with the big club. Gordon was named National League Rookie of the Month after collecting 14 multi-hit games and 12 steals to go along with a .372 batting average over the final frame of the season.

This, after Dee was sent back down to the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, when he managed only a .234 batting average over a month’s worth of games between early June and mid-August. Gordon didn’t seem to think the uptick in performance had much anything to do with comfort:

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“It was the same. I mean, these guys here, they’ve all taken me in. They all helped me in my development. It’s all been the same. There’s nothing different from one time to another. They’re my teammates and they’ve been good to me.”

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Dee’s quick assimilation into the clubhouse speaks volumes not only of the Dodgers’ ability to persevere through a trying season, in which they finished with a disappointing 82-79 record, but also of Gordon’s affable personality and positive contributions to the culture of the team.

Flash Jr.?

But while Dee saw no change in the way he fit into the Dodgers’ remarkably amicable internal vibes, his manager had no trouble picking out reasons for his late-season dominance:

“He’s making adjustments. His swing’s getting shorter. It’s changing. You can see it. I think you’re seeing a little bit more of that direct pop off his swing. I think he’s shortened it up a little bit. I don’t know if he’s thought about it, but he has.”

Dee’s improved performance in September should be enough to tide him over as the present and future of the shortstop position in L.A. His lithe frame and speed in the middle infield evoke visions of Dodger legend Maury Wills, much more so than any of his father, former big league closer Tom “Flash” Gordon.

Dee never considered following in his dad’s footsteps on the mound, not that being a mere 5’11” and 150 pounds would’ve been particularly conducive to him firing high cheese over the plate.

Mattingly insists there’s more to Dee’s game than just “Bunt, slap and run”, though. “He can hit, and he’s going to be a pretty good hitter. We just need him to keep playing and keep learning and he’ll be fun to watch. He’s got it all. He just needs to play.”

And play, he will. It’s not a question of whether Dee will get the opportunity to perform, but rather what he’ll do with that opportunity. It’s a matter of Dee putting in the work necessary to improve from game to game, to become a mainstay at Dodger Stadium.

A Work-in-Progress

As good as Dee was during his rookie season, he still has plenty of work to do to maximize his tremendous potential. He’ll never be a power hitter, but he could stand to improve his patience at the bat after walking just seven times in 233 plate appearances.

If Gordon is to grow into an effective leadoff hitter, he’ll need to develop a more discerning batter’s eye and learn to take pitches, both to boost his time on base (with which to wreak havoc) and allow his teammates to see what the opposing pitcher has up his sleeve on any given night.

Dee could also stand to improve his glove work. He finished the season with a .954 fielding percentage and, more disconcertingly, a UZR/150 of -21.5, which would have placed him among the worst defenders in all of baseball at any position over the course of a full season. The Blue Crew can ill afford to trot out such a terrible fielder at such an important defensive position if they are to be successful next season.

Improving in those areas will take a long offseason of hard work and dedication to his craft, which, given Dee’s improvement over the course of his rookie campaign and his lifetime spent around the game of baseball, shouldn’t be a problem.

“At this point, he’s going to be an exciting player,” Mattingly added. “I just know what kind of kid he is as a worker. He wants to be good. He’s going to continue to work and I don’t see that changing. I just think he’s going to get better and better and better. People in LA are going to like watching him for a while.”

That is, if you prefer watching players torment opponents with blinding speed—bunting for base hits and stretching surefire singles into daring doubles—rather than with moon-shot power.

Speed Thrills

Exciting and Fun to watch, as in, Dee’s ability to make Dodger baseball an entertaining brand as well as a winning one. At the end of the day, that task will be his charge, as it is for every ballplayer at the Major League level.

“He’s going to be a huge asset to our team these coming up years,” asserted All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp. “He’s a guy that can get on base, is really exciting, plays great defense and can steal bases. He’s going to do a lot for us and help us win a lot of games in years to come.”

That’s what’s most important about what Gordon brings to the Dodgers—not just excitement and entertainment, though those things are all well and good for TV ratings and marketing and whatnot.

But a game-changing spark that will reignite the Dodgers’ moribund offense on the way to many more wins, which, at the end of the day, are what folks in LA enjoy the most.

Josh Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials from the Los Angeles Dodgers.