Royals: Seventh Gold Glove adds to Alex Gordon’s legacy

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone at this point, but Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon has won his seventh Gold Glove award.

Some things in life should be universally accepted. For example, the sky is blue. How about another one? Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon is worthy of a Rawlings Gold Glove.

Days after having his $23 million mutual option for 2020 declined by the Royals, Gordon was awarded his seventh Gold Glove. This puts him in some elite company, ranking with the likes of Larry Walker, Devon White and Carl Yastrzemski. Along with seeing his production at the plate creep up to near league average standards (96 OPS+), the three-time All-Star continued to play some of the best defense in baseball.

Among qualified left fielders, Gordon ranked second in Fangraphs’ UZR and RZR metrics last season. Both led the pack in the American League. In a group filled with up-and-coming stars, the 35-year-old still managed to separate himself from the pack with a multitude of highlight-reel plays.

This was Gordon’s third Gold Glove selection in a row. He is also a Platinum Glove winner, which is given to the best defender in either the AL or NL. Voting for that award is open until Nov. 7. With several elite plays made in 2019, Gordon has a solid chance at competing for it:

It remains to be seen if Gordon will return for a 14th season with the Royals next year. If he does, perhaps he’ll make a run for an eighth Gold Glove. If he decides to retire, he’ll go down as one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise. Starting off as a third baseman, Gordon’s career was nearly given up on before it even took off. As things turned out, the move to left field would spark one of the best primes in all of baseball. Injuries would cut things a bit short but nonetheless, “Gordo” has been a treat to watch over the past decade-or-so.

Here’s to hoping Alex Gordon gives us one last year. One more year filled with diving catches, crashing into the left-field wall and gunning runners down from a few hundred feet away. At any rate, 2019 just added to what we already knew about one of the best defensive players of the 2000s.