So the internet is rightly ablaze with the Ohtani and Stanton news, but slipping through the cracks is some fine analysis about new M's player Dee Gordon and his upcoming shift from 2B (where he was elite defensively) to CF, where he's never played during his pro career (unless you count that one season in the Caribbean...).

First up is a killer comment by AndrewMcQ down near the bottom of this thread over at LookoutLanding.  Contained therein is a thick wad of evidence which points favorably to Gordon's speed turning him into an asset in CF, along with some specific IF-->OF conversion examples which, while not inspiring unmitigated confidence, do lend credence to the notion that Gordon's prospects to become a quality defensive CF are indeed strong.

Next up we've got a post over at RotoGraphs by Jeff Zimmerman, aptly titled 'Can Dee Gordon Play Center Field?'  Short version: probably a safe bet, but not without some risk.

Thirdly, we've got an SBNation article which takes a little more cautionary approach to the conversion.  

Also noteworthy (and, indeed, noted by several astute SSI'ers already in various threads) is that Dee Gordon has *already* made a position shift from SS-->2B, and not only did he survive the transition--he flourished after making it!  This position shift demonstrates his willingness to (some might even say gift for) tackling adversity head-on, which is a MAJOR plus in his favor.  Indeed, within hours of learning about his new position, he was already recruiting next-door-neighbor Ken Griffey Jr. as a Special Adviser for his Transition Team. His arm, which was rated strong enough to play SS, certainly won't be a liability in CF.  And his legs...well, we already know that his legs are elite, and a CF's legs are *probably* his most important asset.  The ability to get jumps and take good routes to the ball are important, obviously, but without good speed nobody can play a + CF in the big leagues.  Nobody.

Personally, had you told me a day before Dee Gordon debuted at 2B that he was going to move off SS, I'd have laid good money down that his destination was going to be CF.  It's just too obvious of a fit for him, and all of this hand-wringing about the transition being foolish really does have me scratching my head in confusion.  Apprehension is one thing, but doom-and-gloom, 'This'll never work--we need Gulliver!' nonsense is pretty much enough to make me roll my eyes at otherwise astute observers of Major League Baseball.  I remember getting into arguments over on LL about Cruz's contract, which I called 'market-rate' and 'fair for a player of his skills' and getting sneered at.  Turns out he's been one of the best FA bargains in all of baseball, while his contemporaries (namely Victor Martinez) were closer to average-ish FA acquisitions.

Cruz to DH in Safeco, after a career year in the comfy confines of Baltimore, was a risk.  No question about it.  Just like Dee Gordon to CF is a risk.  But there's precedent for Gordon having success in this transition, and he's already demonstrated himself capable of succeeding in--if not being entirely eager about--making a major position change mid-career.

Personally, I'll take the 80 tool player and figure out a way to cram him onto my roster with a smile on my face.  Dee Gordon is precisely such a player, whose speed is going to be a major asset to this team.  I doubt he scores as many runs in 2018 as he did in 2017 (Yelich/Stanton/Ozuna was as good a 3-4-5 as there is in baseball) but he won't have to in order to make himself a key piece of the puzzle going forward.  To do that, he's just got to post average-ish defensive numbers in CF while being himself with the bat and on the bases.

I like his chances.