‘It’s overwhelming’: Alex Gordon enters Royals Hall of Fame with fond memories
Not far down the road in Lincoln, Nebraska, Alex Gordon grew up cheering for the Kansas City Royals.
On Friday, Gordon was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. It was an honor the longtime Royal and World Series champion didn’t take for granted.
“It’s overwhelming,” Gordon said before the celebration. “I’m very humbled by the honor. I don’t know — in my eyes I’ve never seen (myself) as a Bo Jackson or George Brett or something like that. So (it’s) overwhelming, but at the same time excited. The overwhelming support has been great as far as the players coming.”
Gordon said he and former teammates hung out and shared memories leading up to the main event.
Gordon was honored with an on-field ceremony Friday, about 30 minutes before the game against the Athletics. His former teammates and even several Royals Hall of Famers were in attendance. Gordon gave a short speech with a career highlight reel playing on the Kauffman Stadium video board.
The star outfielder received a signature blue Royals Hall of Fame jacket from fellow inductee Bo Jackson. Gordon is officially the 31st member of KC’s Hall of Fame.
It was clear how beloved Gordon was and is by the many Royals fans wearing his jersey — and the loud cheers he received upon his introduction.
After all, Gordon spent his entire 14-season career with the Royals. He was drafted in 2005 as the second overall pick. He made his MLB debut in 2007
He primarily played left field but started his career at third base. He recalled an especially challenging transition between positions, yet he still won eight Gold Gloves.
“I went down to Triple-A and you guys probably didn’t see it, but those players down in Triple-A — those pitchers — saw me mess up over and over again,” he said. “I just kept putting in the work day after day and kept getting better. It just never stopped. Every day, I was looking for a reason to get better out there.”
In his 14 seasons with the Royals, Gordon hit .257 with 190 home runs, 749 RBIs and 113 stolen bases. He made three All-Star appearances and helped lead the Royals to a World Series title in 2015.
His legacy in the clubhouse continues to hold strong. Longtime Royals catcher Salvador Perez was particularly close to Gordon back then and continues to be.
Although he never coached Gordon, manager Matt Quatraro can still see his impact today.
“I’ve learned quite a bit about him in the last few years, especially talking to Salvy and understanding what he meant to Salvy’s career — the drive and work ethic that he passed on, leading by example,” Quatraro said. “I see how that carries over to his day-to-day. That speaks volumes. That’s all you need to know about the guy. The fact that there’s a locker in there dedicated to him is because of the teammate he was, the worker and the leader.”
He’s also down to earth, Quatraro continued.
“The humility and humbleness of a person,” Quatraro said. “When he’s around here, he’s just one of the guys. He’s a great family guy ... (who) was a really great baseball player.”
For that, it’s no wonder Gordon couldn’t pick a single moment as a favorite memory. Rather, it was just the bond he built with his teammates.
“It’s not even what we did on the field, it’s about what we did in the clubhouse, what we did on the plane, flights, the dinners we had on the road and stuff like that,” Gordon said. “Obviously, all those things are great, the championship is great. But the memories and friendships I’ve made over the years kind of mean the most to me.
“Having these guys back. There are eight or nine, maybe 10 guys back and sharing the memories and stories with them — the past two days have been just fulfilling.”
