Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon Health Update
By Charles Lam
The Kansas City Royals are getting healthier. The presence of Alex Gordon should deepen the lineup and strengthen the defense for the Royals sooner rather than later.
Before Alex Gordon went on the disabled list with a broken hand, he struggled a bit at the plate. He had a slash line of .211/.319/.331 for the Kansas City Royals.
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Gordon racked up 30 hits. He had four home runs and five doubles. The bad news, he struck out a lot. He accumulated a horrendous 50 strikeouts in 42 games.
Gordon’s stats weren’t all negative. In fact, he had 16 walks which helped raise his on base percentage (OBP) to more than .300. He also got hit by seven pitches, bumping up his OBP to .319.
Alex Gordon will start his rehab assignment soon, according Josh Vernier.
Dayton Moore says on @MLBNetwork he hopes to have Alex Gordon back in "maybe about ten days." Start rehab assign. "maybe Sunday or Monday."
— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) June 17, 2016
More news on Gordon from Royals beat reporter, Jeffery Flanagan.
Ned says Alex Gordon likely will start his rehab Sunday at Northwest Arkansas, then Omaha later in week. Will need 20-25 ABs. #Royals
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) June 17, 2016
This is great news for the Kansas City Royals team and organization. Gordon‘s an on base machine with a .347 career OBP. He also plays great defense in left field. He’s got a cannon of an arm and deadly accuracy. He has 70 outfield career assists since transitioning to left field during the 2010 season.
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His on base numbers seem to indicate Gordon should hit in the top third of the batting order when he returns. I think he should slide into the two hole so Alcides Escobar (Esky) can move down in the lineup.
Escobar does not have second man in the lineup type of numbers. Through 67 games, Esky’s slashed a .240/.267/.286. His OBP is 80 points lower than Gordon’s career OBP. I think Esky needs to move to the bottom third of the lineup so he can’t bat as often during a game.
Here’s what a possible lineup might look like when Gordon returns.
Gordon is better suited for the two spot in the lineup. He’s not afraid to take pitches and walks. On the other hand, Escobar is a free swinger. He looks to drive the first pitch he sees nearly every first at bat.
I think the lead off guys should see as many pitches as possible to try to tax the starting pitcher. If the starter is tired, he might give better pitches to hit for the heart of the lineup to guys like Hosmer, Cain and Perez. Giving those guys a better chance at driving in key early run support for the Royals starting pitcher.
Now we wait and see. Gordon should be back at the end of June probably during the St. Louis Cardinals series at “The K”. Hopefully Gordon will hit the ball better when he returns. He could be the key player that the Kansas City Royals need to make a final push towards winning another American League Central title and possibly more.