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Colton Gordon
Houston Astros – No. 74
Pitcher
Born: (1998-12-20) December 20, 1998 (age 25)
Saint Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left

Colton Zimring Gordon (born December 20, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Houston Astros organization. In college, he pitched for Hillsborough Community College and the University of Central Florida. Despite having undergone Tommy John surgery two months prior, he was drafted by the Astros in the eighth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. He pitched for the Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Early life

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Gordon was born and had his bar mitzvah in St. Petersburg, Florida, where his father Steve Gordon lives.[1][2][3][4] He is Jewish, and attended Hebrew school.[1][2][3] He grew up playing T-ball and Little League at Fossil Park in St. Petersburg.[5] He also grew up in Bradenton, Florida, with his mother, and went to Haile Middle School.[6]

High school and college

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Gordon attended and played baseball at Lakewood Ranch High School in Bradenton.[7] In his senior year he was 4-2 with a 1.21 ERA, as in 52.0 innings he had 77 strikeouts. He was ranked the # 6 left-handed pitcher in Florida coming out of high school.[8]

He played college baseball first at Hillsborough Community College in 2019 (7-4 with a 2.44 ERA), and attended but did not play baseball as he redshirted at the University of Florida.[9][7][8][10] Gordon then pitched for the University of Central Florida (UCF), with whom in 2020 he was 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA, and in 2021 he was 5-2 with a 2.77 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 55.1 innings, with a strikeout/walk ratio of 5.54 (4th-best in the American Athletic Conference).[11] He underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2021 during his senior year at UCF, and was named Second Team All-Conference and to the AAC All-Academic Team despite missing half the season.[6][3][8][12] Despite the injury and surgery two months prior, he was drafted by the Houston Astros in the eighth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft, and signed for a signing bonus of $127,500.[10][13][14]

Professional career

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Gordon returned from the injury in 2022 to play for the Florida Complex League Astros, Class A Fayetteville Woodpeckers, and Class A+ Asheville Tourists. He was a combined 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA, a WHIP of 0.787, .182 average-against, and a strikeout/walk ratio of 9.75 (second-best in the minor leagues).[11][15] After the season, he pitched in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros.[16] He was named a 2022 MiLB.com Organization All-Star.[2] Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy said "[Gordon] had a fantastic year last year.... The sky's the limit for him."[1]

In March 2023, MiLB.com named Gordon the "emergent star" of the American League West, and he was the Astro's # 10 prospect according to MLB.com.[17][11] His four-seam fastball from a low release point is generally 89-92 mph and can reach 94 mph, and he also throws a mid-70s curveball, a 78-82 mph slider, a low-80s sinking changeup, and a cutter.[15][9]

Gordon began 2023 with the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks.[11]

International career; Team Israel

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Gordon is Jewish.[18] In 2023, he pitched for the Israel national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[1][11] He said: "Putting on the jersey, it’s bigger than a baseball game, representing a nation of people and our families and heritage."[3] He noted further: "Not only am I excited to showcase my talents, it's also to honor [my parents and grandparents] and appreciate them and appreciate the family lineage and heritage. I'm excited and honored to represent the team."[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e CJ Haddad (March 4, 2023). "Gordon 'riding the wave' to Classic with Team Israel". MLB.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Colton Gordon Stats, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com.
  3. ^ a b c d Berman, Marc (March 9, 2023). "Lakewood Ranch grad Colton Gordon starts for Team Israel in exhibition against the Miami Marlins; Former Lakewood Ranch standout Gordon, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May, 2021, will start the MLB season in the minors, possibly at Triple A Sugarland". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  4. ^ "2020 UCF Baseball Game Notes," February 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Bob Fryer (March 28, 2023). "St. Pete native plays for Israel in world baseball tourney". Jewish Press of Pinellas County.
  6. ^ a b Berman, Marc (March 9, 2023). "Lakewood Ranch grad Colton Gordon starts for Team Israel in exhibition against the Miami Marlins". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  7. ^ a b "Colton Gordon - 2018 Baseball Roster". Florida Gators.
  8. ^ a b c "Colton Gordon - 2021 Baseball Roster". UCF Athletics.
  9. ^ a b "Astros Top Prospects 2023". MLB.com.
  10. ^ a b "Colton Gordon - Stats". The Baseball Cube.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Colton Gordon Amateur, College, Fall & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. ^ Kenny Van Doren (August 25, 2022). "Houston Astros Maximizing Gordon's Arsenal in Return from Tommy John; Drafted last summer, Colton Gordon made his debut almost a year after hearing his name called by the Houston Astros". FanNation.
  13. ^ Maffezzoli, Dennis (July 13, 2021). "Despite Tommy John surgery, Astros take Gordon in MLB Draft; Former Lakewood High standout had surgery 2 months ago after a highly successful start at Central Florida". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  14. ^ "Houston Astros Select UCF Pitcher Colton Gordon in Round Eight of the MLB Draft; becomes 109th Major League Baseball draft pick in UCF 48-year history". Space Coast Daily. July 14, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Rob Terranova (March 30, 2023). "Prospect Primer: American League West". MiLB.com.
  16. ^ Jacob Resnick (November 9, 2022). "Hardman, Gordon win AFL weekly awards". MLB.com.
  17. ^ Lerner, Danielle (March 12, 2023). "Astros pitching prospect Colton Gordon to start for Israel in WBC". Houston Chronicle.
  18. ^ "Colton Gordon". Jewish Baseball News.
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