Alex Gordon will be set out as the 31st member of the Royals Hall of Fame, with the Kansas City Royals naming him the lone inductee of the 2025 class on Friday morning.
Gordon’s induction ceremony is ready for June 13 at Kauffman Stadium, earlier than the Royals face the A’s. He will obtain a blue jacket, joining an elite group that consists of his former manager Ned Yost, as well as Royals legends like George Brett and Bo Jackson.
The forty-one-year-old earned induction in his first year on the ballot, receiving 97.8% of the vote, in line with the team. The close to-unanimous assist reflects his legacy as a homegrown star who performed a pivotal position in the Royals’ 2014 American League pennant and 2015 World Series championship.
Introducing the newest member of the Royals Hall of Fame, Alex Gordon! pic.twitter.com/AmNmj9nOJ7
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) March 14, 2025
Gordon’s journey to the Royals took several turns after they drafted him 2nd overall in 2005 out of Nebraska. He began as a 3rd baseman and debuted two years later, but by the fourth season, he was back in Triple-A, working with the team on a position change. Struggling with a .194 batting average, he was sent down in May 2010 to analyze the left area while Mike Moustakas, a rising infield prospect, climbed through the minor leagues.
What accompanied showcased why Gordon is so revered in the Royals’ organization. He put in the work—relentlessly. He mastered the left area and stayed devoted to his exercises. By the summer season of 2010, he had earned his way back to the Majors. The next year, he claimed his first Gold Glove Award.
Gordon earned his first All-Star selection in 2013, setting the standard for the rising core that would assist in delivering a World Series title to Kansas City in 2015. His dedication has become a blueprint for the Royals’ young talent—so much so that the team distributed footage of his pregame outfield drills to minor leaguers as a teaching tool. In 2023, the organization honored his legacy by creating the Heart and Hustle Alex Gordon Award, given to the player who embodies his relentless method to the game.
The Royals former left fielder set the benchmark for outfield defense, patrolling the left area at Kauffman Stadium for a decade while securing two Platinum Glove Awards and 8 Gold Gloves. His spotlight reel is packed with mind-blowing grabs, from diving catches on the grass to fearless leaps into the stands. But one play stands proud in his reminiscence—the moment he, in the end, was given his shot in center field. After persistently lobbying Yost and the Royals’ coaching staff, Gordon made the most of his opportunity, crashing into the wall and tumbling to the ground at the same time as securing a catch against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Gordon delivered several strong offensive seasons, wrapping up his profession with a .257/.338/.410 slash line and 34.5 WAR, per Baseball Reference. After 14 seasons, he retired in 2020, finishing right where he began—with the Royals.
He cemented his place in franchise records, ranking a number of the Royals’ top 10 in multiple offensive categories. He sits sixth in games played (1,753), fifth in home runs (190), seventh in RBIs (749), sixth in hits (1,643), third in walks (684), fifth in doubles (357), and sixth in total bases (2,622). No Royal was hit by more pitches than Gordon, who absorbed 121 over his profession.
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