Mets Draft - Pick 13 - RHP - R.J. Gordon - Oregon

 

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CAREER 

Tied for 10th in Oregon history in career starts with 28 … Finished with a 14-9 record and a 5.22 ERA … Made 51 career appearances allowing 116 runs (106 earned) on 191 hits in 182.2 innings of work with 155 strikeouts and 89 walks. 

2024 SEASON 

Named honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference ... Earned the start on opening day after missing the 2023 season with an injury ... Game one starter in every regular-season series as well as the Santa Barbara Regional and the Bryan-College Station Super Regional … Finished the season 7-6 with a 5.13 ERA in 17 starts … Allowed 59 runs (54 earned) on 92 hits in 94.2 innings with 87 strikeouts and 46 walks … Limited opposing hitters to a .256 batting average … Went 5-3 in 10 Pac-12 Conference starts with a 5.40 ERA 

… Allowed 38 runs (35 earned) on 52 hits in 58.1 innings with 59 Ks and 27 base on balls … led the Pac-12 Conference in starts and finished second in the league in innings pitched, while ranking tied for third in wins, eighth in strikeout and third in strikeouts looking … Held Pac-12 hitters to a .239 batting average in league games, which ranked ninth in the conference

 … Also ranked in the top 10 in wins (T3rd), innings pitched (5th) and strikeouts (sixth) … vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 16): Fanned three in 4.1 innings of work while allowing two runs on five hits in an Oregon win ... vs. Lafayette (Feb. 23): Picked up first win since May 19, 2022, after tossing six innings of three-hit ball 

... Allowed just one run while fanning four ... vs. UC Santa Barbara (March 1): Charged with the loss after allowing four runs (3 earned) on four hits in 4.2 innings with four walks and 6 Ks ... at Arizona State (March 8): Battled through 5.1 innings allowing three runs on four hits with four walks and three Ks 

... Left with the game tied 3-3 ... vs. California (March 15): Struck out a career-high seven but was tagged with the loss after giving up six run in 5.0 innings pitched ... vs. Arizona (March 22): Picked up the win while matching career highs in innings pitched (6.1) and strikeouts (7) ... Allowed just one run on four hits ... vs. Seattle (March 28): Picked up the win after allowing just one run on five hits in 5.0 innings with 5 Ks ... at UCLA (April 5): Picked up the win after fanning a career-high 10 over 5.1 innings of work 

… Allowed four runs (2 earned) on four hits with just two walks … vs. USC (April 12): Put together best career outing allowing just one run on five hits in a career-best 8.1 innings pitched with three strikeouts ... at Stanford (April 19): Charged with the loss after allowing nine runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts ... at #13 Oregon State (April 26): Got the loss despite giving the Ducks a quality start 

... Allowed two runs on four hits over 6.0 innings while striking out nine and walking two ... vs. Utah (May 4): Picked up the win in the first game of a doubleheader ... at Washington (May 10): Picked up a no-decision after allowing six runs on seven hits in six innings with five Ks and three walks 

... vs. Washington State (May 16): Picked up a win while allowing just two runs on five hits with six Ks ... vs. USC (May 23): Gave the Ducks a quality start but came up on the losing end allowing three runs on eight hits over 6.0 innings of work with three strikeouts ... vs. San Diego (May 31): Gave Oregon a quality start leaving the game with no outs and two runners on with a 4-1 lead ... Got the no-decision in an Oregon win ... at #4 Texas A&M (June 8): Took the loss in the Super Regional opener allowing seven runs (6 earned) on nine hits in 3.1 innings with four walks and four Ks.

 

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Round 13, Pick No. 383: RHP R.J. Gordon, Oregon 

Gordon had a 5.13 in 94.2 innings this season for Oregon. 

 

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RJ GORDON, RHP, OREGON 

I wrote about Gordon when I caught the Ducks at Globe Life Field the first weekend of the season. He was filling up the zone with a 92-93 cut ride fastball, landing a big 12-6 breaker, and turning over an average changeup. 

I felt like his pitch mix was missing an out pitch vs right-handers, and that a sweeper would fit his arm slot and supination-heavy profile, as he was only throwing a low to mid 80’s cuttery slider. Well, it looks like before his March 15th start vs Cal, Gordon added a sweeper full-time and is throwing his cutter harder. Averaging 13 inches of sweep at 83 MPH, this sweeper has the makings of a true out pitch vs right handed hitters. 

However, there have been some struggles for Gordon learning this pitch, as it only has a 20% miss rate, but I would argue this is likely Gordon is still gaining feel for a pitch that’s tough to command, let alone learn in-season. This pitch will flash double plus, as the video below is one with positive IVB, almost 20 inches of sweep, and throw 84 MPH, but Gordon is still gaining feel for it. 

While the pitch shape averages are good, it’s been a bit more inconsistent than you’d like. It’s a pitch he leaves over the heart of the plate a bit too often, and while it may get some called strikes, in predictable counts hitters can sit on it and do damage as long as they see it out of the hand. 

I like Gordon’s pitch mix a lot. While the results haven’t fully been there, tinkering in season can be tough, especially for a guy who missed all of 2023 with an injury. On top of this, given the run-scoring environment in college baseball in 2024, Gordon has a solid set of skills that I believe should translate better   his baseball card numbers may indicate. I still think there’s a #5 starter upside here, especially if the right team gets ahold of him. 

 

https://autzenzoo.com/posts/oregon-baseball-ducks-rj-gordon-new-york-mets-2024-mlb-draft -

 After a productive 2024 Oregon baseball season, right-handed pitcher RJ Gordon now has a chance to continue his baseball career by moving on to the New York Mets. That’s because the Mets picked the Ducks’ Friday night starter in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. 

Gordon, a junior right-handed pitcher from Santa Clarita, California, became the third Oregon baseball player to ever get selected by the Mets organization, according to Oregon’s official press release. As the Ducks athletic department noted, Gordon joined the likes of Ron Delplanche and David Peterson who were drafted by the New York Mets organization in 1965 and 2017 respectively. 

As the Friday night starter for the Ducks in 2024, Gordon was clearly a key figure in Oregon's pitching rotation. It shouldn’t shock anyone that he managed to lead the Pac-12 with 17 starts on the mound this season (good for 11th-most nationally). 

Gordon’s ERA wasn’t exactly the best, but he was still pretty solid and consistent throughout the season. He also managed to strike out 87 batters through 94.2 innings pitched. And as a result, he was an honorable mention on the Pac-12 All-Conference team.

 There’s some room for improvement there, but clearly the Mets see some potential in what Gordon brings to the table. 

 

Mack – 

Small frame… 91-94, T-97… plus 20.2 inches of induced vertical break… can make a batter very hard to connect.

 Another of those break project picks in a poor draft. 

I expect to see him start off next year in the FCL rotation.