Atlanta Braves Should Target Alex Gordon This Winter
Aug 14, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eighth inning at Citi Field. The Pirates defeated the Mets 3-2 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Free Agent Beauty Contest, 2015-16
Right now, the top free agent outfielders available this off-season are …
In an interview on XM’s MLB Network Radio on August 6th, Braves President John Hart all but ruled out those three players – specifically based on cost reasons:
Hart: looking at the market with Cespedes, Upton, Heyward, the dollars we think will be out of where we want to go. #Braves
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) August 6, 2015
There’s one name he did not mention with that group – Alex Gordon.
Gordon will be 32 in 2015, and though that’s starting to get to a point where Atlanta gets queasy about a long-term deal, both the dollars and the duration should be more limited, which reduces the exposure to the team.
But even aside from the dollars, there’s more that makes a Gordon pursuit make sense for the club:
- Consistent hitter. .269 ML average with .349 OBP. This despite early struggles from 2007-2010.
- Consistent threat. 87-101 RBI each year from 2011-2014. Slugging in the mid .400’s with OPS around .800. wRC+ often well above 100.
- Solid defender. 4 Gold Gloves. Decent speed when his legs are healthy (that’s been an issue only this season).
- Excellent teammate.
- Profiles similarly to A.J. Pierzynski as a hitter… and fairly close to Freddie Freeman as well.
But there’s another reason I believe that the Braves will target Gordon: it’s Atlanta’s hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.
Seitzer became the hitting coach for Kansas City beginning in 2009, lasting through the 2013 season. With Seitzer on board, Gordon’s numbers were excellent from 2011 onward: fWAR values hit 6.6, 5.5, 3.7, 6.6, and 2.8 so far this season despite injury.
In short, Alex Gordon is everything that Kevin Seitzer wants to see in a hitter, and I believe he’d like nothing less than to urge Atlanta to sign his hitting protégé.
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