Nebraska All-American and Lincoln native Alex Gordon will be inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame, the team announced Friday.
Gordon becomes the 31st member of the Royals Hall of Fame after playing his entire 14-year MLB career in Kansas City, the team he grew up rooting for in Nebraska.
He rose to stardom first at Lincoln Southeast High School, where he was named Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Nebraska in 2002. He then enrolled at Nebraska, took over as the starting third baseman midway through his freshman year in 2003, then helped the Huskers to a Big 12 championship. He earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors in 2004 and 2005, and guided the Cornhuskers to the Men’s College World Series in 2005. In his junior season, Gordon swept the national player of the year awards in college baseball, including the Dick Howser Award, the Brooks Wallace Award and the ABCA/Rawlings Player of the Year Award.
Also in 2005, Gordon was drafted second by the Royals. In 2006, Gordon dominated as a member of the AA Wichita Wranglers, earning Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year award. He started the 2007 season as a member of the Royals and started Opening Day at third base for KC in 2007. Gordon struggled the first three years of his MLB career. Battling injuries and with Mike Moustakas rising quickly in the Royals’ system at third base, Gordon moved to left field and flourished.
Gordon earned the first of his team-record-tying eight Gold Gloves in 2011, then found his batting stroke in 2012, hitting .323 from June on while leading MLB with 51 doubles while grabbing his second straight Gold Glove. While earning his first All-Star appearance in 2013, Gordon was again the Gold Glove winner in left field while helping the Royals to just their second winning season since 1995. In 2014, he again earned All-Star and Gold Glove honors while helping Kansas City to its first playoff appearance since 1985.
The 2015 season was one of high highs and low lows for Gordon. He was selected to the All-Star Game again, but on July 8, he sustained a strained groin and missed substantial time. But the Royals again made the postseason, this time winning the A.L. Central, and the World Series for a second straight year. In game one against the Mets with Kansas City trailing by one in the bottom of the ninth, Gordon led off the inning with a home run to tie the game, which the Royals eventually won in extra innings. Kansas City won the World Series in five games, its second World Championship in team history.
Gordon stayed with the Royals for the final five years of his career, earning four more Gold Gloves before announcing his retirement in 2020.
Gordon will be inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame on June 14 before a game against the Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. He’s already had his number retired by Nebraska Baseball and has already been inducted into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame. Gordon and his family has also been very generous in donating to Nebraska Athletics, giving the lead gift for the Alex Gordon Training Complex at Haymarket Park. Gordon was inducted to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in suburban Kansas City in 2024.