Derek Gordon looks to a number of different people when it comes to advice on his baseball career, but there is somebody pretty close to him who knows a thing or two about the game.

Take his brother, Alex, for example.

Alex just happens to be a former No. 1 draft pick who is the starting left fielder for the Kansas City Royals. That’s how people outside the Gordon family look at Alex, but not those from within.

“I don’t see him as everyone else sees him. He is the brother, I see, who helps me out and tells me things that I can do to better myself,” said Derek Gordon, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-handed starting pitcher for the La Crosse Loggers.

“That is how I see him. I don’t really see him as the left fielder of the Royals. I just see him as my brother Alex that I grew up with.”

Derek, who threw two-hit ball for 51/3 innings Monday night in a 4-0 loss to Wisconsin Rapids before leaving with a sprained ankle, said his brother strongly encouraged him to venture out and play summer ball. The Northwoods League seemed like a perfect fit.

“I talked to him a lot about it (the Northwoods League), and he said there is no reason why you shouldn’t do this. It is a great opportunity, and if you say ‘No,’ you are going to regret it for the rest of your life,” Gordon said.

“I eventually said yes and I am having a great time.”

Gordon, a junior at Park University in Parkview, Mo., allowed two runs — one earned — in his Loggers and Northwoods League debut. A sprained ankle forced him out of the game in the sixth, but Loggers fans got a pretty good taste of what he has in store for them this summer.

“This is a great place. The fans are great and the field is amazing,” Gordon said. “I love it here.”