Kansas City Royals slotting Alex Gordon into third spot in lineup

There may be a lot of uncertainty in the Kansas City Royals lineup at this point, but one thing is for certain – Alex Gordon will be batting third.

Typically, when it comes to filling out the lineup card, the best all around hitter on the team will end up slotted third. It is a key run producing spot, and a place where one would want their hitter to get on base in front of the best pure power hitter. The problem is, for the Kansas City Royals, the question of who is the best all around hitter on the roster is not an easy one to answer.

Nonetheless, someone will need to hit in that spot in the lineup. Manager Ned Yost has named Alex Gordon as the third hitter in the lineup, citing his success in that role late in 2018.

Since signing his four year, $72 million contract after the 2015 campaign, Gordon’s offense had essentially deserted him. Last season was his best since that championship year, but Gordon still had a mediocre .245/.324/.370 batting line with 13 homers and 12 steals. His defense in left is still incredible, and would keep him in the lineup even without that salary, but the days of Gordon being a threat in the lineup appear to be over.

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Yet, there was something about batting third in the lineup that brought Gordon out of his malaise. when hitting in that spot in the lineup, he had a .274/.355/.452 batting line, hitting three homers and six doubles in 96 plate appearances.

Maybe, just maybe, there is some method to what would appear to be madness on Yost’s part. Maybe Gordon can recapture the form that made him a former All Star, a solid all around hitter, and a key part of the Royals focus on putting the ball in play and placing the pressure squarely on the defense. And maybe, Gordon can capture lightning in a bottle, looking like the old Gordon once more, instead of just old.

If the Royals are truly looking to jumpstart their rebuild and be respectable this season, having a rejuvenated Gordon in the lineup will be a major help. With some combination of Whit Merrifield and Adalberto Mondesi likely hitting before Gordon, he should see his fair share of fastballs to keep that duo from stealing. That should also help Gordon get back on track.

Alex Gordon is slated to hit in the third spot for the Kansas City Royals this season. That decision could work out for Ned Yost and the Royals.