KC Royals: Three surprising players through first two months of 2019

THREE SURPRISING ROYALS SO FAR – NUMBER 2: ALEX GORDON

After signing the largest contract in KC Royals history, Alex Gordon hadn’t lived up to the bill through the first three years of that deal. It was tough for fans to watch and while we all hoped he’d figure it out again and go out on a high note, many didn’t see that as a realistic scenario.

Well, Gordon has turned things around, at least to this point in the season.

Through Gordon’s first 48 games in 2019, he’s slashing .286/.383/.503 with eight home runs and 34 RBI in 175 at bats. He’s walked 21 times and struck out 29 times.

Gordon has played so well this season that there’s even been discussion that he could return to the Royals in 2020, per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. That’d mean having his mutual option declined and likely having to sign a team-friendly deal, but he was quoted in the linked above article as saying he doesn’t want to play anywhere else.

That likely means Gordon won’t be getting traded due to his 10-5 rights, but perhaps if the right team came calling, he’d consider playing for a contender. It’d be nice to get a prospect or two for Gordon, but at the same time, fans should love that he only wants to play for Kansas City.

While there’s still a lot of baseball left to play this season, seeing Alex Gordon turn it around has been a bright spot for sure. Hopefully he continues to rake at the plate.