Written by Ben Reiter at SI.com
Is it time to rename the Gordometer? Now in its sixth spring of existence, the Gordometer is an instrument SI created to assess the probability that an annual set of former top prospects, who each experienced years-long struggles upon reaching the majors, might finally put everything together—and not a moment too soon.
That’s what the Gordometer’s namesake—the Royals’ Alex Gordon, once a second overall draft pick and Baseball America’s second ranked minor league prospect—did in 2011, when he was 26. It was the from-the-blue start of a run of production that included four Gold Gloves, three All-Star selections, a World Series ring and a four-year, $72 million free agent contract.
Now 33, Gordon’s career seems to have finally reached its downswing. He hit just .220 last year, with 17 homers, 40 RBIs and a .692 OPS. Should we rechristen this thing the J.D. Martinezmeter? The Murphometer? The Turnerometer?
You know what? Gordon’s still the archetype. We’ll give it one more year. Here, then, is this year’s slate of potential late bloomers who might follow in his footsteps, assembled with the help of a panel of pro scouts who watched each of them extensively this spring. The scouts provided the Gordometer ratings, which range from one Gordon head (meaning it’s not going to happen) to four Gordon heads (get your popcorn ready).
Yonder Alonso, A’s 1B
Alonso has always had the pedigree. Once the Reds’ seventh overall pick in the `08 draft out of the University of Miami and a four-time member of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list, Alonso has never gotten results on the big league level befitting of a corner infielder. He’d couldn’t get playing time in Cincinnati, not behind Joey Votto, but the Reds mercifully dealt him to San Diego five winters ago in a trade that now looks terribly lopsided (they also sent away Brad Boxberger, Yasmani Grandal and Edinson Volquez in exchange for just Mat Latos). In four years with the Padres, and one with the A’s, Alonso still hasn’t cracked double digits in homers, and he’s never hit better than .282 or driven in more than 62 runs.
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