Kansas City Royals hoping for similar luck with second overall pick
By David Hill
2005: Alex Gordon
Alex Gordon was supposed to develop into the next George Brett. No pressure or anything, right?
Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2005, Gordon was in the majors by 2007, rushed up to the majors as Kansas City looked for anything that could be competent on the diamond. While Gordon had a decent first two seasons, he did not do anything to make the fanbase forget about Brett. His struggles got to the point where he was sent to the minors in 2010, leaving behind a mediocre .244/.328/.405 batting line and subpar defense at third.
Sent to the minors, Gordon no only had to work on finding himself at the plate, but learning a new position as well. He became a left fielder, a transition that would appear to be genius afterwards. He took to the position well, and showed potential to be a solid defensive player when he returned to the majors in 2010.
The following year, Gordon finally broke through. Defensively, he became a star, a five time Gold Glove winner with a cannon for an arm and an ability to get to virtually anything. He won the 2014 AL Platinum Glove, leading all AL outfielders with 24 runs saved. Even though he has only nine seasons in left, his 102 runs saved are the third most in MLB history.
Gordon also turned his career around with the bat. Even with his struggles in 2016 and 2017, he has produced a .262/.343/.418 batting line, hitting 127 homers and stealing 79 bases. His offense and defense made him a key part of the Royals revival, a three time All Star who is likely to be inducted into the team Hall of Fame.
It took some time, but Alex Gordon became a star for the Kansas City Royals. He just did so in a completely unexpected way.