3:00pm: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Gordon also receives scholarship money, which takes the deal’s value to roughly $4MM, though the scholarship’s value doesn’t count against the Twins’ bonus pool.
1:31pm: Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (via Twitter) that Gordon signed for the slot value of $3.851MM.
1:21pm: The Twins announced, via press release, that they have agreed to terms with fifth overall pick Nick Gordon. The highly touted Gordon will head to Fort Myers, Fla. to participate in Twins mini-camp before joining the Rookie-level Elizabethton Twins in the Appalachian League. That season begins on June 19.
Gordon, a high school shortstop out of Florida, is the son of longtime Major League closer Tom Gordon and the brother of current Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon. He ranked fourth among draft prospects per ESPN’s Keith Law, fifth according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, and sixth according to Baseball America.
Scouts have praised Gordon’s speed, arm and glove as his best tools, noting that he’s a very good bet to remain at shortstop in pro ball. That doesn’t mean that he’s an all-glove prospect, however, as his bat has drawn high praise as well. Law noted that Gordon has “surprising power given his small frame; largely thanks to very strong wrists and above-average bat speed.” Mayo and Callis touched on Gordon’s ability to use the entire field at the plate, while BA called him an above-average hitter with doubles power that many scouts feel will grow into average home run power as he learns to pull the ball. MLBTR’s Zach Links spoke with Gordon prior to the draft as part of MLBTR’s Draft Prospect Q&A series.
Gordon was committed to Florida State, though the expectation was that he would sign out of the draft. He is the third consecutive Top 5 pick that the struggling Twins have had; Minnesota selected No. 1 overall prospect Byron Buxton with the second pick in the 2012 draft and picked right-hander Kohl Stewart with the No. 4 overall selection in last year’s draft. Gordon is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.
