KC Royals: A Legend will rest; Alex Gordon announces retirement

The KC Royals have plenty of team defining players, but Alex Gordon will be remembered forever by fans both young and old for many different reasons.

It’s not often that players spend an entire career with one team. This isn’t only true for baseball, but for many sports. It makes it even more special, and difficult when these players come to the end of their long careers. Now, the KC Royals will say goodbye to a fan favorite and longtime player.

Alex Gordon is officially retiring from baseball. Gordon has been with the Royals for his entire career since being drafted by Kansas City in the 2005 draft, 2nd overall.

He didn’t take long to see the majors, coming up in 2007, but things didn’t go as planned for the next great Royals player. He was sent back to the minors in 2010 and worked on a new position in left field. This would change the course of Gordon’s career.

In 2011, Alex had a career year. He slashed .303/.376/.502, hit 23 home runs, and set the standard for left fielders. Since then, Gordon has won 7 Gold Gloves, a Platinum Glove, is a 3 time All-Star, and has received MVP votes twice, finishing 12th in MVP voting in 2014.

Gordon started to see a decline in recent years and lost some time due to injury, but his ability to lead in the clubhouse was never questioned. Gordon’s work ethic has been used as the bar for new players and his attitude is that of baseballs greats.

Gordon was integral in helping the team during their postseason runs and World Series win, and will always be remembered for his home run to tie Game 1 in the 2015 WS.

If taking a look in the record books, it’s easy to find Alex among the top in career bests. To name a few, he is 4th overall in WAR, 6th in games played, 6th in at bats, 6th in runs scored, 6th in hits, 5th in doubles, 4th in home runs, and 6th in RBIs. He can be found in the top 10 in plenty of other categories as well.

To say the retirement of Alex Gordon is the end of an era is correct, but it still feels as though justice is not done in explaining the impact Gordon had on the Royals and the fans in Kansas City.

Through ups and downs, there was no doubt that Gordon was and would remain a Royal.

From crazy left-field dives to well-placed home runs, Alex Gordon represents what it means to be Forever Royal.

There is no question that Gordon will be placed in the Royals Hall of Fame, and he could one day have his number 4 retired. It may even be safe to say that there will one day be a statue of Alex at Kauffman Stadium, rounding first base with his finger in the air or going full superman for a defensive gem.

Here is to the end of an era. We thank Alex for his years of dedication to the team and can’t wait to see what is next for him. It’s time to rest Legend, the kids will take it from here.

Alex Gordon is officially retiring after a long, successful career as a Royal.