KC Royals: What A Difference A Decade Makes

Left Field

The Royals  moved a third baseman to left field in 2010 and watched a player that looked like a bust, turn into a living legend.

2005: Terrence Long

Terrence Long was a one-year player for the Royals in 2005. He didn’t have a great career and was an average Major League player. That’s pretty standard for most Royals signed in that era.

Long slashed .279/.321/.378 and hit six home runs in 137 games that season. He manged just a .1 bWAR that year which is less than adequate for Royals’ left fielders these days.

Terrence Long was also responsible for -4 defensive runs saved in 2005. That puts the entire left side of the field responsible for -46 runs. Three players accounted for almost as many runs saved in the wrong direction as the entire team saved in the 2015 season.

Maybe one of the biggest steps in the right direction happened for the Royals in 2005. With the second overall pick in the 2005 draft, the Royals signed Alex Gordon.

2015: Alex Gordon

In 2015, the Royals and their fans had long forgotten about the offensive woes that plagued Alex Gordon early in his career.

When he moved to left field, his level of play increased both at the plate and seemingly in the field. Alex Gordon is an incredible athlete and his great work ethic has set the standard for younger Royals’ players.

Alex Gordon hit one of the biggest home runs in Royals’ history.

When Alex Gordon went down for the Royals in the middle of 2015, many fans wondered if they’d ever see him in a Royals’ jersey again. It was a gut-wrenching moment for players and fans alike.

Jarrod Dyson made an incredible catch only one day later that helped everyone breath a little sigh of relief as it seemed the Royals had the depth to remain in first place.

While the Royals played well in Gordon’s absence, they were grateful to get him back when they did.

When the Royals trailed in game one of the World Series, Gordon stepped to the plate with one of the best closers in baseball staring him down. What happened next usually only happens in movies.

Alex Gordon hit one of the biggest home runs in Royals’ history. Gordon tied the game with a no-doubt shot over the center field wall as life shot back into the Royals’ dugout. They had come so close the year before, and who knows what would have happened if he didn’t tie that game.

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