8. Nick Gordon, Minnesota Twins
Gordon has very good bloodlines with his father Tom Gordon having a long career as a major league pitcher and brother Dee Gordon being a very good second baseman for the Miami Marlins.
He was selected early by the Twins in the 2014 draft, when they picked him with the fifth overall selection. There were those who immediately attempted to assume Nick was going to be similar to Dee, and that image has really mistaken people’s views on him throughout his career.
Gordon is a sure-handed shortstop who is not an elite guy at the position defensively, but he has good instincts and hands that could allow him to handle the position long-term. He does handle either side of the bag well, though, and the Twins have played him at second base in spring training and even in the minors at times.
Gordon is not the all-speed sort of offensive profile that his brother is, either. He does have a contact-focused hitting approach that leads to low walk rates.
However, Gordon has a solid ability to drive balls to the gaps and the swing and power to be a guy who could power out 8-10 home runs per season as a major leaguer, and he’s probably going to be a guy who steals 15-20 bases, not 50 like his brother.
While he’s likely not a guy who will be a fantasy monster, Gordon is a steady, head-strong player that is an asset to a club, and that has plenty of value to a team, even if he isn’t a superstar-level player.
7. J.P. Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies
Crawford used an early season crazy offensive push to drive his prospect rankings through the roof last season, and it seems that many have struggled to adjust expectations for Crawford based on his now .256 batting average over 209 games in the upper minors.
Crawford is an absolutely elite defensive player, and he will take a walk, so there is every chance that he is a guy who hits .250 with a .340 or better OBP. That sort of profile is incredibly elite.
However, Crawford’s not exactly got the power that would translate to a 20-home run guy (though he will have a home park to bump up his raw numbers) nor the raw speed to be a guy to steal 20 bases consistently.
All that said, Crawford’s natural instincts and skills on defense are so incredibly good that it is impossible to have him lower than this on the list because he absolutely should be a guy who provides 3-4 fWAR per season just with his glove.
Next: #6, #5