FORT MYERS, FLA. — Nick Gordon's development into a valuable super-utility player became one of the highlights of the Twins' 2022 season. To reward him, they traded for two players to reduce his role.
Michael A. Taylor, who has won a Gold Glove, will be Byron Buxton's backup in center. Kyle Farmer, who has gotten 1,112 at-bats over the past two seasons, will back up Carlos Correa at short. Both can play elsewhere, but might not need to, because Gordon covers more ground than Kentucky bluegrass.
You've heard of "glue guys''? Gordon is a grout guy, filling in wherever needed. Last year, he played second base, third base, pitcher, shortstop, left field, center field and DH. He also pinch hit and pinch ran. The previous season, he also played right field.
In 2022, having gotten control of the gastritis that had cost him pounds and status, he added muscle and hit nine home runs in 405 at-bats. He had hit as many as nine homers only once before as a pro, when he reached that total in 519 at-bats in Class AA in 2017.
"I expanded my horizons," he said.
Which required an expansion of his shoulders.
In one season, the former first-round draft pick increased his weight, usage, value and power. With Taylor and Farmer, he will give the Twins a deep, versatile bench, as long as he keeps feasting on steak, potatoes and fastballs.
"Honestly, I thought I had a decent year, but I think there are more things I could have capitalized on,'' he said. "Running the bases, more bags, more doubles, more homers, more RBI. I felt like there were a lot of at-bats where I swung at bad pitches. Those are the kinds of things I want to improve: Better plate vision, driving more pitches, being more aggressive."
Gordon in many ways embodies his Twins team: Talented enough that he was a first-round draft pick, troubled enough by health issues that his career was almost ruined.
He played at about 185 pounds early in his pro career, then gastritis — or something like it — caused his weight to drop to 160. He changed his diet a few years ago, cutting out just about anything that could be classified as junk food, and began eating clean proteins and vegetables almost exclusively.
He played at 175 pounds last year and is at 180 now. He hopes that continued weightlifting and healthful eating will get him back to 185.
"My trainer, Roger Williams, and I got after it this winter," he said. "I still deal with gastritis, but it's controllable. I have medications that control it.
"I definitely can't have dairy. I can't have spicy foods, or anything too saucy. So I eat steak, fish, chicken, and rice and beans. Mashed potatoes. Broccoli. Stuff like that."
Last year he took advantage of opportunities created by a slew of Twins injuries. The Twins' brain trust frequently expresses its love for Gordon's versatility and attitude, without mentioning that what is best for the team is to need him less.
"Nick's role is just as it was in the past," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "Give us whatever we need. He's the right person for that. He's got the right mentality for that. One thing that every person who has been around Nick says about him is that he's a joy to be around."
It's easy to have a good attitude in spring training, or during a hot streak. Gordon displayed one of the Twins' best personalities last year even when the team was struggling or his playing time was sporadic.
"Even during my roughest times, I always tried to smile," he said. "I always knew that it would get better. I never felt like I couldn't recover from this. I always looked at it like I had something to look forward to, like there was something better coming."
Taking that position led to him playing a lot of positions.
