PEORIA, Ariz. -- Dee Gordon understands the youth movement at home. He and his wife just welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Demi, on Tuesday back in Orlando, Fla. But as Gordon arrived at Mariners camp on Friday, the 31-year-old quickly indicated he¡¯s not quite as ready to embrace the youth movement on his baseball team.

Gordon knows the Mariners are going young and have earmarked 24-year-old Shed Long, one of Gordon¡¯s offseason workout partners in Florida, as the starter at second base this season. But that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s just going to hand the job to his friend without a competition.

¡°We¡¯re grown men now. He¡¯s got to play,¡± Gordon said. ¡°He¡¯s my guy. Shed stays in my house [at times in the offseason]. But he's still got to play.¡±

Gordon was a National League All-Star in 2014 with the Dodgers and again in ¡¯15 with the Marlins, but his production slipped the past two seasons in Seattle -- he¡¯s hit .271 with just a .295 on-base percentage. With Gordon entering the final year of a contract that pays him $13.5 million this year, the Mariners have made it clear that Long will get a shot to show what he can do at second, while Gordon will fill in behind him and young shortstop J.P. Crawford.

"I¡¯ve never walked in a locker room where young guys have positions," Gordon said. "They need to take advantage of this and be grateful for it. Because this doesn¡¯t happen very often for young players who aren't proven."

Gordon isn¡¯t ready to concede his starting spot without a fight. And he¡¯s eager to show he¡¯s more like the old Dee Gordon, rather than an older Dee Gordon, this spring.

¡°I¡¯m the best player in the locker room,¡± Gordon said. ¡°I¡¯m the best player when I walk on the field. Y¡¯all ain¡¯t seen it. I¡¯ve been hurt. I¡¯ll just get ready and you¡¯ll see something fun.¡±

His approach this spring?

¡°Just do it,¡± Gordon said. ¡°Just buckle it in. I lost myself the last few years, but my tenacity is back.¡±

His baby girl arriving in his life has only fueled a resolve he said began returning late last season.

¡°For me, it¡¯s like, I told you about my tenacity. I was losing it because honestly I got bored with losing,¡± he said. ¡°When I was down with the Marlins we didn¡¯t win, came here, we didn¡¯t win, I got bored with losing so I lost my tenacity, I was just playing baseball. Even before she came, before even last year ended, I started working toward this year.¡±

Gordon, who played basketball in high school before switching to a full-time baseball focus, is drawing on Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard for motivation.

¡°I¡¯ve been watching Dame Lillard a lot,¡± he said. ¡°Trash team, but he¡¯s trying to put them on his back every night. That¡¯s what I usually do. That¡¯s what I did when I helped Giancarlo [Stanton] win MVP [in Miami]. I had to get that back.¡±

Gordon also wanted to make it clear he wasn¡¯t blaming anyone else for his situation the past two seasons.

¡°It¡¯s on me,¡± he said. ¡°Anything that ever happened these few years has been on me. And it takes a strong man to look in the mirror and tell yourself that. That¡¯s how I feel. But it ain¡¯t going to be on me no more. Last year, I was just floating through the end of last year, just to get into the offseason. I wasn¡¯t in the greatest spot mentally. Now I¡¯ve got that little girl, there¡¯s nothing nobody can do to me. Let¡¯s go play.¡±

After ending his interview, Gordon returned to make sure reporters understood exactly what he meant by invoking Lillard and his comments about putting the team on his back.

¡°What I mean about Dame is, if I¡¯m going to be here, I¡¯m going to be the best player here,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to make sure of that. Every single day, every single out, I¡¯m not taking a pitch off. I¡¯m not taking an at-bat off. I¡¯m not taking a stolen base off, I¡¯m not taking a run off. That¡¯s it.¡±

Manager Scott Servais will be the one trying to juggle Gordon¡¯s playing time with the up-and-coming youngsters. He knows that balancing act won¡¯t be easy, but appreciates Gordon¡¯s determination and ability to show the rookies the right way to play and compete.

¡°Dee is very driven,¡± Servais said. ¡°Dee has been told his whole life that he can¡¯t do things or accomplish things. Like a lot of guys in that room, he¡¯s always proven them wrong. I know he¡¯s worked very hard this offseason.

¡°The biggest thing for Dee is that he¡¯s got to stay healthy. We are going to ask that he be a little more versatile and that he move around the field a little bit more. He¡¯s open to that. He wants to play. Bottom line, he wants to play. He wants to win. He¡¯s been a very good teammate with these young guys.¡±