Gordon dishes on family, music, dreams and … pitching?

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola's Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Marlins outfielder Nick Gordon comes from a baseball family, but did you know the 28-year-old Avon Park, Fla., native makes music on the side with teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr.?

“There's a lot of energy,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “It's always a lot of fun when [Gordon] comes into the clubhouse. He brings personality. You need personality in the clubhouse. It's nice to have a bunch of gamers -- don't get me wrong -- but someone needs to keep it light in there and talk a little crap, whatever you want to do, and just to keep the guys off edge. He's been great to uplift that clubhouse. He always has a smile on his face, but he's producing, too.”

With the season a couple of weeks old, what better way for fans to get to know the newcomers both on and off the field than through a fun Q&A? In this installment, we catch up with Gordon.

MLB.com: What was it like growing up in a baseball family?
Gordon: That's something that I'll never ever be able to forget. It's definitely part of my life and made me who I am today.

MLB.com: Were you destined to always play baseball?
Gordon: I always loved it, so I would say just being around the atmosphere, it was hard not to. My dad made it really fun for us. It was definitely a goal of mine.

MLB.com: What was the best advice he gave you?
Gordon: "Always have fun." Still to this day.

MLB.com: What’s been your favorite memory so far in baseball?
Gordon: My favorite memory. That's tough. I would probably say hitting a grand slam. After that, just kind of I'd been through a lot with my teammates, so they let me run on the field by myself. I wasn't expecting that, so that was a special moment.

MLB.com: You pitched in high school. When was the last time you pitched?
Gordon: It's been a while. I haven't really thrown. I threw in the big leagues -- that was kind of just batting practice, though. I haven't thrown in a while, honestly. My mechanics and everything are still pretty good. I don't know how hard I would throw.

MLB.com: What kind of pitches were you throwing?
Gordon: Fastball, split change, curveball, rarely a slider.

MLB.com: Even though it has been so long, do you think that helps you as a hitter?
Gordon: For sure. Being able to think with the pitcher, being able to think the game situations, things like that.

MLB.com: You were going to attend FSU. Did you grow up a Seminole?
Gordon: I actually grew up a Florida Gators fan, so that was kind of tough on my dad. Florida State, they blew me away. I went on a visit, and it was awesome.

MLB.com: How did you get into music? Have you always been musically inclined?
Gordon: Honestly, music just kind of found me. Just always loved music, and then some of my best friends made music. (Note: Gordon and Chisholm recently uploaded one of their songs on Soundcloud.)

MLB.com: Do you play any instruments?
Gordon: I don't. I can beat the drums, but I wouldn't say I can play them.

MLB.com: If you had the chance to collaborate with any musician, who would it be?
Gordon: It would probably be like Adele or someone like that, probably. One of the greats. I like The Weeknd, too. The Weeknd, Adele, Drake. Anyone like that, because they've got an effect. If they get on our song, it's a No. 1.

MLB.com: If you could achieve one thing -- career or in life -- what would it be?
Gordon: Honestly, I don't think there would be anything materialistic that would do it for me. I think it's more inner peace, more happiness. Being able to see my son smile, my family happy, knowing that they're proud of me. I think that would be it.