Kansas City Royals: Is Alex Gordon Playing Hard Ball
By Paul York
Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) – Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Offensively, Gordon is not quite the force Pence and/or Choo are. Here are each guy’s 162 game averages (courtesy of baseball-reference.com):
- Alex Gordon– .268 Avg./.345 OBP/.435 SLG/ 19 HR
- Shin-Soo Choo– .282 Avg./ .383 OBP/ .453 SLG/ 19 HR
- Hunter Pence– .284 Avg./ .338 OBP/ .472 SLG/ 25 HR
As you can see, there’s an uptick in average and slugging, but perhaps that difference becomes negligible when considering Gordon’s defensive prowess. Both Pence and Choo were in the red when it comes to their dWAR ratings in 2014, while Gordon sat at a 2.6 dWAR rating.
If you’re like me, WAR and dWAR and many of the other silly new-fangled “advanced” stats don’t mean much. It’s plain to see, however, that Gordon is a superior defender, and saves runs with his glove-work.
Does Alex Gordon’s defense make him worthy of contracts like Pence and Choo? Not in my opinion, though I don’t think his next contract should pale in comparison like it does now.
What I think will happen is about halfway through the season, so long as Gordon is producing somewhere close to his normal levels, the Royals and he will hammer out something like a 5-year/$83-85 million dollar contract extension. I wouldn’t be shocked if more money, or more years are involved.
A contract like that would mean they’re paying Gordon quite handsomely through age 37. For most guys, that kind of commitment would scare the hell out of me. For Gordon, however, who hasn’t had a carb in ten years, it wouldn’t bother me.
Next: Will Gordon Leave KC