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KANSAS CITY — The Kansas City Royals have announced that outfielder Alex Gordon has been elected into the Royals Hall of Fame presented by Commerce Bank. He will become the elite group’s 31st inductee during on-field ceremonies prior to the game vs. the Athletics at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, June 13.
“My family and I are beyond grateful and humbled,” Gordon said. “I’ve said this before but my heart has always and will always be with the Royals. All I ever thought about was working as hard as I could, and being the best teammate I could. The memories we made will stick with me forever, and this incredible honor is a reflection of our amazing teammates, coaches, trainers, staff and fans in Kansas City.”
“Alex has been and always will be one of the most respected Royals ever,” said Royals Executive Vice President and General Manager, J.J. Picollo. “Nobody prepared the way he did and his work ethic couldn’t be matched. We will always remember the big homer in Game 1 of the World Series in 2015, but his teammates will always remember the level of professionalism he brought to our clubhouse. This is a well deserved and much anticipated honor for Alex.”
Gordon was elected in his first ballot appearance in a vote of living Royals Hall of Fame Members, members of the Royals Hall of Fame Executive Board, select members of the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Kansas City media representatives, current Royals front office staff with 15 years of service or more, and Royals fans via an on-line vote.
To be eligible for the ballot, Royals Alumni must have been active with the club for at least three seasons and accumulated a minimum of 1,500 plate appearances or 300.0 innings pitched or managed the equivalent of three full seasons. Eligible alumni shall have ceased to be an active on-field member of the Royals (or for any other Major League organization) in the role for which they are being considered for at least three calendar years preceding the election. Eligible alumni must be named on at least 75% of all ballots cast to be elected. Gordon received 97.8% of the vote.
Gordon was the Royals 1st-round selection (2nd overall) in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft after his standout collegiate career at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) where he won both the 2005 Dick Howser Award as the most outstanding player in college baseball and the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the United States.
On April 2, 2007, he became just the fourth player in club history to make his MLB debut in the Royals Opening Day starting lineup, beginning a 14-year career all in Kansas City. Gordon was the 2011 Les Milgram Royals Player of the Year when he posted career bests in batting average (.303), runs scored (101), stolen bases (17), home runs (23), and RBI (87). He was a three-time All-Star (2013-15) and was elected as the American League All-Star starting left fielder in 2015.
Gordon was an eight-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner (2011-14, 2017-20), sharing the club record with Frank White, and a two-time Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winner (2014, 2020). He holds the Royals career record for leadoff home runs (14) and hit by pitches (121). He led the Majors with 51 doubles in 2012, the 2nd-highest single season total in club history (Hal McRae had 54 in 1977). His 102 career outfield assists are 2nd most in Royals history to Amos Otis’ 116.
He was a key player in the Royals capturing the 2014 American League Pennant, including a 10th inning go-ahead home run in Game 1 of the ALCS in Baltimore. During Game 1 of the 2015 World Series, he hit a 9th-inning, game-tying home run at Kauffman Stadium. Additionally, his 10 career postseason doubles are 2nd most in club history behind only McRae (11).
Gordon currently ranks in the Royals Career Top 10 in walks (3rd, 684), doubles (5th, 357), home runs (5th, 190), hits (6th, 1,643), runs (6th, 867), totals bases (6th, 2,622), games played (6th, 1,753) and RBI (7th, 749). He is one of six position players to play 14 or more seasons for the Royals along with Amos Otis (14; 1970-83), Hal McRae (15; 1973-87), Willie Wilson (15; 1976-90), Frank White (18; 1973-1990) and George Brett (21; 1973-93), all now members of the Royals Hall of Fame.
