Kansas City Royals: All-Decade Team for 2010s
By Travis Neely
ALL-DECADE TEAM FOR 2010S
LEFT FIELD – ALEX GORDON
- 3x All-Star
- 7x Gold Glove
- 1x Platinum Glove
Alex Gordon is the only Royals player to play in every season during this decade. He was on AL All-Star teams and won seven Gold Gloves during the decade. He played in 1,369 regular season games and 31 postseason games.
Gordon will be most remembered for his ninth inning heroics in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series where his home run tied the game. He hit that bomb off of Mets closer Jeurys Familia and that moment will forever be etched in Royals history.
Gordon might not have started the 2010s as the Royals left fielder, but by the end of the decade, there was no question who’d be starting there if the franchise were to field an all-decade team. It’d be Gordo all the way!
CENTER FIELD – LORENZO CAIN
- 1x All-Star (Royals only)
- 2014 ALCS MVP
Lorenzo Cain finally emerged as a star in Kansas City after becoming an every day player once he was fully healthy in 2013. His ability to patrol center field with grace and speed reminded many Royals fans of another number six that used to play the same position (Willie Wilson).
Cain played in one All-Star game as a Royal and was the 2014 ALCS MVP. He scored a critical run in game 6 of the 2015 ALCS coming all the way from first on a single by Eric Hosmer. He would also provide the best “Fetty Wap” references into this interviews.
While Cain didn’t end the decade with the Royals, there’s no doubt that he’d be the man in center field if an all-decade team were formed.
RIGHT FIELD – JORGE SOLER
- Franchise record for most home runs hit in a season (48)
The Royals haven’t really had a steady right fielder, but I went with Jorge Soler here due to his dominant 2019 campaign. Soler simply mashed the ball during the 2019 season and that was enough to earn him a spot on this list.
After disappointing over his first two seasons as Royal due to injuries, Soler busted out and showed why General Manger Dayton Moore was willing to trade Wade Davis to the Cubs to acquire him at the end of the 2016 season.
Soler broke the Royals single season home run record by leading the AL with 48 home runs last season and appears to be one of the up and coming sluggers in MLB. Right field was a bit of a struggle to come up with a truly good option, but Soler’s bat can’t be left out of the lineup, so he earns this spot.