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Topps issued Gordon's rookie card prematurely, as only players on 25-man rosters or who have played in at least one Major League game are eligible. As a result, Topps stopped producing the card and cut holes in some of the existing cards. Examples that found their way into retail stores have garnered bids in the thousands of dollars on eBay.
Gordon finished the season with a .260 batting average and 16 home runs and led the Royals with 66 walks. However, he made the most errors and had the lowest fielding percentage (.955) of all American League third basemen in 2008. Gordon attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, majoring in criminal justice and playing third base for the university's baseball team. He was also an ESPY Award Finalist for the Best Male College Athlete. Over the course of his collegiate career, he posted a .355 career batting average, with 44 home runs and 189 runs batted in and finished in the top ten in eight different offensive statistical categories at Nebraska. Additionally, Gordon was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 and was named to the First Team All-Big 12 Team in 2004 and 2005.
Top Leagues
On July 6, he was named to the 2014 All-Star Team for the second consecutive year. On August 6, he recorded his 1,000th career hit when he singled off Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley. On August 26, he tied Wade Boggs for the most home runs hit by a Nebraskan in the Major Leagues.
Down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Rick Ankiel and Willie Bloomquist at the corners, and a 1-0 count, Gordon came through. Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon tossed a mistake pitch up in the zone. He sent it into the home bullpen, ending the game 7-5 in favor of the Boys in Blue. The uptick in home runs began in the second half of 2015 and led to much speculation as to what has caused the barrage of home runs.
Career Regular Season
However, on March 30, he signed a four-year, $37.5 million extension with the Royals with a player option for 2016. Gordon earned $6 million in 2012, $9 million in 2013, $10 million in 2014 and $12.5 million in 2015, but declined to exercise his player option of $12.5 million for 2016. Before the 2008 season, Gordon switched his uniform number from #7, the number he had as a rookie, to #4, his college number.
June 25, 2016 Kansas City Royals activated LF Alex Gordon from the 15-day disabled list. April 10, 2018 Kansas City Royals placed LF Alex Gordon on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to April 9, 2018. Besides Judge and Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton has dominated the home run highlights, with 55.
Statcast: How Gordon crushed Familia's quick pitch
Of course, this was 2008, and Mark Grudzielanek hit into a routine ground ball double play to end the game down 8-7. In a back-and-forth game against the White Sox, the Royals were able to come back multiple times. Though the tenth inning was problematic, the 11th was particularly exciting. In the top half, AJ Pierzynski hit a ball to deep left-center field, allowing Joe Creed to score easily. Unfortunately, Esteban German unkorked a wild through that allowed Alexei Ramirez to score as well. He finished the regular season with a .271 batting average/.377 on-base percentage/.432 slugging percentage with 18 doubles, 13 home runs, and 48 RBIs.
The home run average dropped in 2014 to its lowest level since 1992, then started rising during the second half of the 2015 season. "I don't know what to make of it," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Guys are bigger and guys are stronger. but so are the pitchers. There sure are a lot of home runs being hit." On February 9, 2012, Gordon signed a one-year, $4.775 million deal with the Royals to avoid arbitration. In the process, Gordon filed for $5.45, while the Royals countered with $4.15. Under the Royals' agreement, he could have earned an additional $25K if he had reached 700 plate appearances, putting him at the original midpoint.
That's a dramatic increase from just a few years ago, when everyone was suddenly worried about the lack of power in the game. In 2014, there were just 4,186 home runs hit, the fewest in a non-strike season since 1993, when there were 28 teams instead of the current 30. There were 5,610 homers last year, an average of 2.31 per game, and this year's average of 2.53 entering Tuesday's action projects to 6,139. Gordon's home run off Toronto reliever Ryan Tepera broke a markset in 2000 at the height of the Steroids Era. Despite Gordon hitting .185 with three home runs and eight RBI through his first two months as an everyday starter, the Royals remained patient with him. Let us know in the comments, and let us celebrate his long and storied big league career.
Following a broken thumb suffered in Spring Training, Gordon began the 2010 season on a minor league rehab assignment with Class-A Advanced Wilmington. He was demoted to the minor leagues in May, where he played left field. Gordon had been hitting .194 before his demotion, and many considered this demotion to indicate that Gordon was running out of chances with the Royals.
Gordon then went out to take his position in left field in the top of the second before being pulled back to the dugout and replaced by Franchy Cordero. Overall with the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Gordon batted .209 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 50 games. On July 8, 2015, against the Tampa Bay Rays, Gordon was injured attempting to chase down a fly ball hit by Logan Forsythe, which resulted in an inside-the-park home run as Gordon could not get back up. After being carted off the field, he was diagnosed with a left groin strain and was placed on the injured list.
When the previous record of 5,693 was set in 2000, Sammy Sosa led the major leagues with 50 home runs and Barry Bonds hit 49. In the 10th, facing fellow lefty Brian Matusz with one out and Salvador Perez on base via a walk, Mike Moustakas added two insurance runs with his third home run of this postseason. Mitch Maier led off the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout.
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