Time For Dodgers To Move Dee Gordon Out Of The Leadoff Spot

Published: 4^th May 12 12:35 pm

Randy Holt
NHL Network Manager @RandallPnkFloyd

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Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

Just over a month into the Major League Baseball season and the Los Angeles Dodgers have easily been the biggest surprise thus far. With a league best 17-8 record, they’ve jumped out to the top of a division that had simply assumed the Arizona Diamondbacks would run away with. It’s amazing what new ownership can do.

But not all is perfect for the Dodgers as far as the team on the field goes. Despite that record, there are some adjustments that could be made to help this team perform even better, with one of those tweaks coming at the top of the lineup.

Dee Gordon came into the season with high expectations from some, and not-so-high expectations from others. His solid MLB debut in 2011 helped him to lock down the starting shortstop gig heading into this season.

Gordon hit .305 and posted a .325 on-base percentage, along with 24 swipes in 56 games. He did walk just seven times in 266 at-bats, but did have a BABIP up at .345 so walking wasn’t as crucial.

This season hasn’t been the same story for Gordon. He’s hitting just .217 and is getting on base at a paltry .263 clip. He has almost as many walks as he did all of last year, at six, but his BABIP isn’t so hot early in the year, at just .264.

Gordon’s speed is obviously the reason he’s in the leadoff spot. He’s among the best basestealers in the league, with 10 steals in 24 games already this season. But at the rate he’s getting on base, it’s likely time for the Dodgers to get Gordon out of that leadoff spot and probably send him to the other end of the order.

When you have guys like Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, who have combined for 50 RBIs already this season, you simply have to get on base. Gordon isn’t doing it and it’s costing the Dodgers runs. Perhaps sending him to the bottom of the lineup in favor of someone who’s better from an on-base perspective, even if they don’t possess the speed of Gordon. A.J. Ellis anyone?

If Gordon continues to get on base at such a low rate, I don’t see Don Mattingly sticking with him in that spot for much longer. Though it’s unclear who they’d swap out at the top of the order for Gordon, they’ll likely need to find someone to move into that spot in the very near future, given what we’ve seem from Gordon so far. His speed is enough to keep him in the lineup, but at the rate he’s getting on base, it’s not enough to keep him at the top of the order.

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