Alex Gordon to Bat 3rd?

[Yoda]

I would go with 3-4: Butler, Guillen, Gordon, Teahen.

[crimson knuckles]

You guys are all high on Gordon this year. I dont get it. I think he will have a dissappointing year again.

[KCollins1304]

You guys are all high on Gordon this year. I dont get it. I think he will have a dissappointing year again.

People have faith in his talent, he won the minor league's MVP in 2006. He then skipped from AA to MLB starting last year, and a lot of people attribute his disappointment to that.

[bigh0rt]

You guys are all high on Gordon this year. I dont get it. I think he will have a dissappointing year again.

Because struggling in a rookie season isn't an uncommon thing. Aside from that, what basis are you using for your opinion on another disappointing season? All of the reasons for expecting him to have a strong year last year are still there, plus a year of Major League experience under his belt, and an entire off-season and Spring to continue adjusting. In 2005, Justin Morneau was receiving all the hype as being a machine, going to have a huge season, etc. etc. He bat .239 and drove in 79 Runs. Then he started out 2006 by batting .208 and then went on to win the NL MVP. I don't expect Alex Gordon to win the AL MVP this season, but there's more than enough reasons to think he'll play the way he's been projected to, aside from last season's performance. Keep in mind also that Gordon's SLG raised .114 pts after the break last year, and his AVG .032 pts; he hit more HR, more RBI in fewer AB, so apparently he was making the proper adjustments.

[Yoda]

You guys are all high on Gordon this year. I dont get it. I think he will have a dissappointing year again.

He simply was not ready. He raked in Spring Training and they handed him the starting job without much competition. He certainly performed well at AA but that is a pretty big jump from AA to MLB with only a single pro ball experience and making a switch to wooden bats. He also had an enormous pressure to be the face of the franchise despite very limited experience. Some players adjust quickly and some do not.

Gordon is still a special talent. Whether that translate to him becoming a dominant player or not remains to be seen but he showed enough flashes of brilliance in 07 that I believe he will gradually improve. If anything, I'd expect him to take a big step up in post ASB this year.