Kansas City Royals: Sad and Costly Decline of Alex Gordon
By Joel Wagler
ALEX GORDON LOOKED LIKE A STAR FOR THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS
From 2011 through 2015, Alex Gordon was one heck of a player. In that time, his 162-game averages were terrific.
- 176 Hits
- 92 Runs
- 40 Doubles
- 20 Home Runs
- 81 RBI
- .281/.359/.450/.809 Slash line
He did miss some time in 2015 due to a wrist injury, playing in just 104 games, not counting the post season. The four previous years, though, he played in at least 151 games each year.
It should also be noted that in those five years, Gordon was a four-time Gold Glove winner and a three-time All-Star. According to Fangraphs, Gordon accumulated an Ultimate Zone Rating of 67.2, the third best number in the Majors over those five years.
He also earned a Defensive Runs Saved mark of 94 in those seasons, good for the second best in the big leagues.
The last two seasons haven’t been as kind…