Dee Gordon

Devaris "Dee" Strange-Gordon, an American former professional baseball player, spent time at second base, shortstop, and center field in the majors. He suited up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Seattle Mariners, and Washington Nationals.

Born in Windermere, Florida, to former MLB pitcher Tom Gordon and Devona Denise Strange, he was the second-oldest of five children fathered by Tom with multiple women. When Dee was seven, his mother was shot and killed by a subsequent boyfriend, who pleaded no contest to manslaughter and served five years. Tom Gordon gained custody and raised Dee with help from his own mother.

Strange-Gordon initially focused on basketball and didn't play baseball until high school. He received a college basketball scholarship offer from Louisville but instead played baseball at Avon Park High School, Seminole Community College, and Southeastern University. The Dodgers drafted him in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB draft.

In the minors, he hit .331 for the Ogden Raptors in 2008. With the Great Lakes Loons in 2009, he batted .301, stole 73 bases, and was named Midwest League MVP. In 2010, with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, he hit .277 with 53 steals and 37 errors, and played winter ball in Puerto Rico. By 2011, Baseball America ranked him the Dodgers' top prospect.

Called up on June 6, 2011, after an injury to Rafael Furcal, Strange-Gordon debuted as a pinch runner and scored. The next day, he collected three hits and a steal in his first start. On July 1, he stole second, third, and home in the same inning—a feat last done by a Dodger in 1928 and a major leaguer in 2009. In 56 games, he hit .304 with 24 steals, tying for the rookie lead. He made the Topps All-Star Rookie team.

His first home run came on May 1, 2012, leading off against Jhoulys Chacín. On June 1, he was part of a Dodgers lineup with five sons of former major leaguers—a first in MLB history—and the first all-son infield. Leading the league in steals, he tore the UCL in his right thumb on July 4 and didn't return until September, by which time Hanley Ramírez had taken shortstop. He finished 2012 hitting .228 with 32 steals in 87 games, then played winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

In 2013, he started in Triple-A, was called up in May after a Ramírez injury, hit .175 in 19 games, and was sent back down. He returned late as a pinch runner, stealing 10 bases while hitting .231 in 38 games. To improve his versatility, he played second base in Triple-A and center field in the Dominican winter league.

Strange-Gordon won the starting second base job for the Dodgers in 2014, beating out Alex Guerrero. In his first season with the Marlins in 2015, he hit .333 with 205 hits and 58 steals, leading the National League in all three categories. He became the first player to lead the NL in both batting average and stolen bases since Jackie Robinson in 1949. Over the 2010s, his 330 stolen bases were the most in MLB.

With the Mariners in 2018, he shifted to center field, and by 2020 he was playing left field.