Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon best Royals left fielder of 2010s

The Kansas City Royals only had one true left fielder in the 2010s – Alex Gordon – so naturally, he was their best at the position from this decade.

Alex Gordon, drafted second overall in the 2005 amateur draft out of the University of Nebraska, was the heir apparent for the Kansas City Royals at third base.

The amount of pressure to the second coming of George Brett was an insurmountable expectation to place upon the young and talented Gordon as he was coming up through the farm system. The Royals didn’t get their second coming of George Brett, but they got their best left fielder in franchise history as a consolation prize.

After being sent down to the minors to recapture his confidence and health, Alex Gordon began working with Rusty Kuntz to switch his full-time position to left field. The switch to left field for Gordon began in 2010 and thank goodness, the Royals organization exhibited patience and provided Gordon with all of the tools he needed to excel at his positional change.

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Gordon became the best defensive left fielder in the MLB during the decade and was a cornerstone for the Royals offense throughout the entire decade. Gordon’s professionalism and talent made him a clubhouse leader for Royals during the decade and his defensive excellence pushed the younger players on the roster to hustle and play like him every day.

Gordon put up some of the most consistent statistical lines both offensively and defensively for left fielders in the decade.

• 1,369 games
• .260/.341/.412
• 149 HRs
• 297 extra base hits
• 26.8 WAR
• .994 fielding percentage with 98 outfield assists

During the decade, Gordon was a 3x All-Star (2013 – 2015), 7x Gold Glover (2011 – 2014, 2017 – 2019), AL Platinum Glove (2014), and 3x Wilson Defensive Player (2014, 2017, and 2018). He wasn’t just the best left fielder for the Royals, but arguably the best defensive left fielder in the American League during the decade as well.

Gordon led the American League in outfield assists for two years (2011 and 2013), putouts in left field for five years (2011 – 2014 and 2019), and fielding percentage three times (2011, 2014, and 2016). His best year came in 2011 when he hit .303/.376/.502 with 23 HRs, 45 2Bs, with 17 SBs, setting his career highs for batting average, home runs, and stolen bases. Gordon also earned his first of seven gold gloves, contributing a stunning 20 outfield assists, and 312 putouts in left field.

In a decade filled with clutch hits and defensive highlights, picking Gordon’s most memorable moment for Alex Gordon is tough. In my opinion, the choice is between his single (takes third on error) in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series (imagine if they sent him home) and his game tying home run in the bottom of the ninth of Game 1 of the 2015 World Series.

Trailing by one run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series against Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants, Alex Gordon stepped up to the plate and ripped a line drive single to left center field…then chaos ensued.

The ball went under the center fielder’s glove, then the left fielder bobbled the ball trying to pick it up at the wall with crowd getting louder as each mistake propelled Gordon faster and faster around the bases. The immediate “What If” questions came about when the Royals held Gordon at third base instead of sending him home in what would have been one of the most exciting plays to the end of a Game 7 of the World Series.

Joe ‘Mister Robot’ Buck’s voice may have finally broken in excitement if there was a dramatic play at the plate to decide the series, but we will always be left to wonder could he made it.

The other top contender for most memorable moment of Gordon’s decade was another play that came in the bottom of the ninth inning. This time, in Game 1 of the 2015 World Serie with one out and facing off against the New York Mets dominant closer Jeurys Familia.

The inning prior set the stage for the dramatics as a ball skipped under Eric Hosmer’s glove and the Mets took the lead. The one ball, one strike count pitch was absolutely destroyed by Gordon, who hit an absolute no-doubt home run to dead center.

In a playoff run that saw the Royals climb back from the brink time after time, this home run sent the crowd into an absolute frenzy, and let Gordon make his iconic pose rounding first base with his finger raised high into the October night.

I was certain Eric Hosmer had pulled a Bill Buckner error in the eighth inning only to see Alex Gordon annihilate that pitch beyond the center field wall to alleviate all doubt.

Alex Gordon deserved his large contract extension toward the end of the decade and was welcomed signal for future Royals teams that loyalty will be rewarded. He was the Royals most valuable player during the 2010s.

The fact that he played for the Royals nearly every year over the past decade is another reason why he’s a no brainer as the Kansas City Royals’ left fielder of the decade. I hope Gordon comes back for one more season in 2020 to provide the Royals another year of stellar defense and leadership.

A return of Alex Gordon will provide the Royals greater roster flexibility for the 2020 season and I see Gordon entering into a position with the front office staff once he decides to hang up his cleats.

Be sure to follow along, as we’ll discuss the center fielder of the decade in my next article.