LOS ANGELES - Dee Gordon has been selected as the Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year in an announcement made by Dodgers’ General Manager Ned Colletti.  Albuquerque pitcher Scott Elbert was named the Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
 
The 21-year-old Gordon was named Midwest League Prospect of the Year and league Co-MVP with teammate Kyle Russell after leading the league with 73 steals (22 more than his closest challenger) and 12 triples, and ranking second in the league with 162 hits and 96 runs.  His numbers also rank second in steals, tied for eighth in triples, 11th in hits, and 15th in runs among all full-season minor league players.  He was selected as a starter for the Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star Game, going 1-for-2 with a steal, and also named as the shortstop on the league’s post season All-Star Team.
 
Gordon won the Dodger Pride Award for June, batting .347 (34-for-98) with 14 steals and 22 runs in 24 games and had a season-long 16-game hitting streak in the month.
 
The fourth-round selection in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft hit .301 with three home runs and 35 RBI in 131 games to help lead Great Lakes to its first playoff appearance in the club’s three-year history.  The Florida native entered the season ranked as the Dodgers’ No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America. The publication also ranked him as the fastest baserunner, best athlete, and best defensive infielder in the Dodgers’ minor league system. Gordon is the son of pitcher Tom “Flash” Gordon.
 
In two minor league seasons, Gordon has a .311 batting average with 91 steals, 5 homers and 62 RBI.
 
Both Elbert and Gordon will be honored in a pregame ceremony during the Dodgers’ final home series of the season, when the Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies from October 2-4.  Representatives from each of the Dodgers’ minor league partners will be on hand for the ceremony.
 
The Great Lakes Loons are the third-year Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the Midwest League.  For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.

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