Orioles supplement bench depth, sign former Twins' top prospect

The Orioles concluded a busy calendar year of player moves on Tuesday, December 31, inking utility man Nick Gordon to a minor-league contract. The 29 year-old utility-man figures to compete for a bench spot this spring.

Gordon spent 2024 with the Miami Marlins after coming over in a trade for reliever Steven Okert last winter. While his surface stats do not appear terrible - he hit .227 with 8 home runs and 32 RBI's in 95 games - he was worth a shockingly bad -1.7 WAR in 2024, by far the worst of his four-year career.

Gordon's best season came in 2022 with the Twins, where he hit .272 with 9 home runs, 50 RBIs, and a .743 OPS en route to a solid 1.9 WAR.

The Orioles sign free agent Nick Gordon to compete for a bench spot this Spring

The Twins drafted Gordon out of high school with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. He was Minnesota's top prospect in 2017 and entered 2017 as the 50th best prospect in baseball, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.

The left-handed hitting Gordon debuted with the Twins in 2021 and played all over the diamond, seeing time in all three outfield spots, as well as second base, shortstop, and third base. In 2022, he predominantly played center field and second base, though he actually pitched in 4 games as well. With Miami in 2024, Gordon saw time at second base and all three outfield spots.

To be sure, Gordon is far from guaranteed to earn a roster spot with the Orioles. His versatility notwithstanding, the Orioles' position player depth chart appears pretty full at this time. If Gordon hopes to sneak onto the roster as infield depth, he would have to compete with Jorge Mateo, Ramon Urias, and Coby Mayo, all of whom are behind Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday.

For outfield depth, Gordon will be competing with Heston Kjerstad, Daz Cameron, Jordyn Adams, and Mateo, all of whom are competing to back up Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, and Tyler O'Neill. And at 29 and coming off of a -1.7 WAR season, whatever prospect shine Gordon formerly had has certainly worn off.

While the signing of Gordon caps a busy 2024 for the Orioles - a year that saw them acquire Corbin Burnes, make 5 trades at the deadline, and sign Tyler O'Neill, Gary Sanchez, and Tomoyuki Sugano - this move is unlikely to pay significant dividends in 2024. Nevertheless, Gordon will get his chance this spring to compete for a roster spot and, given his past success, he will be a player worth monitoring.