Kansas City Royals 2017 Awards: Eric Hosmer or Whit Merrifield for MVP?

Biggest Disappointment: Alex Gordon

At the All-Star break, Brandon Moss occupied this spot. That decision had to do with his meager 16 RBI in 181 at-bats. Ironically, the designated hitter had the exact same number of at-bats in the second half, but he drove in more than twice as many runs (34) during those 181 at-bats.

That was enough to lift him out of this unwanted award. Instead, it allowed Alex Gordon to drop into this spot. The highest-paid player on the Kansas City Royals, Gordon finished with nine home runs and 45 RBI in 148 games.

Those numbers would be a lot worse if it wasn’t for a decent September. Over the final month of the season, he had four of his nine home runs and eight of his 45 RBI. His batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage were also higher in September than any other month of the season. His final month triple-slash line was .250/.337/.452 compared to his season line of .208/.293/.315.

Those numbers would be abysmal for a rookie, but when you consider Gordon’s experience—plus the aforementioned spot on the payroll—it virtually guarantees him this award. That’s saying something considering the number of disappointing players the Kansas City Royals employed this season.

The hope is that Gordon is able to carry over some of the momentum and confidence that September gave him into 2018. If not, it’s possible he lands in this spot again next season.

Runner-up: Kelvin Herrera