Projecting the KC Royals’ Opening Day starting lineup

Left field: Alex Gordon

One of the most decorated and beloved KC Royals of all-time is back for yet another season. Despite some expecting Alex Gordon to hang ’em up after a bounceback 2019 season, he’s decided he still has baseball left to play.

In his age-35 season, Gordon hit for a 96 OPS+ (100 is considered average) and won his seventh Gold Glove award (third in a row). Although his defense may be getting by a bit on reputation these days, he’s still a firm plus on that end and his resurgence of sorts at the plate was great to see.

Some may disagree with the move, alluding to the fact that the organization has a multitude of outfielders already waiting for their chances to show what they can do. While that’s a fair point, Gordon will likely play less often in 2020 than he has in any non-injury ridden season. The days of him playing close to a full 162-game slate are probably over.

Who knows what version of Alex Gordon we’ll get this season. At the very least, even if he flops coming out of the gate, his excellent defense and leadership will remain. Perhaps he can usher in his heir to the throne in left field. Until then, we’ll hopefully have a couple of highlight plays to add to his ever-growing reel.