Gordon may not be a TOTAL bust

The Kansas City Royals drafted Alex Gordon with the second pick in the 2005 amateur draft. Many scouts throughout baseball felt that Gordon might have been the best talent available that year. "He was as close to a can't miss [prospect] as there could be" said one scouting official. Expectations were colossal, and initially Gordon delivered: He hit 29 home runs and stole more than 20 bases in his first full season in minor league baseball. Gordon was getting a lot of attention. He was selected to the 2006 All-Star Futures game, and was regarded as baseball's best hitting prospect. The comparisons to Royals' great George Brett began and so did the decline of Alex Gordon.

I was still living in Kansas City during Gordon's major league debut. As a life long fan of the Royals, I was understandably nervous about all the hype surrounding him. I remember all too well the fate of prospects such as: Chad Durbin, Chris George, Colt Griffin, Angel Berroa, Phil Hiat, Chris Lubanski, etc. I wanted the attention to stop. I wanted Gordon to deliver. I wanted the Royals' front office to finally be right about a draft pick, a prospect...anything. I was listening to the radio on April 2nd of 2007 as Alex Gordon stepped to the plate for his first major league at bat. He was facing Curt Schilling, and as you might know...he stuck out. While no one was likely thinking about it then, the Royals might have struck out as well. The following 2 plus years would be less than stellar for Gordon.

Gordon quickly developed into a low OBP, high strike out, mistake-pitch hitter. He showed signs of power, but a clear lack of plate discipline. Local radio implied that George Brett spent some time with Gordon, talking to him about his swing and how he needed adjust his approach. It must have fallen on deaf ears, as Gordon would spend some considerable time in the minors.

If demotions weren't bad enough, "injury was added to insult". Gordon spent much of 2009 on the disabled list following hip surgery. The fan base and those in the front office were more than frustrated with their top pick. The Royals Review has summed up Gordon's major league career as follows: 2007 was disappointment, 2008 showed promise, and 2009 was injury. So what does 2010 have in store for the one time "greatest hitting prospect in baseball"? Baseballprojection.com predicts him to hit .267/14HR/54RBI...doesn't exactly take your breath away huh? The site also has his strikeouts at 99 and his OBP at .353. Again, none of these numbers are going to have anyone itching to fill in his All-Star ballot bubble. Does this make Gordon a bust? Considering what he was advertised to be, probably so. However, a healthy Alex Gordon with above average defense and improved plate discipline could provide the Royals with a finally stable "hot corner".

Third base has been nothing short of a game of musical chairs for the Royals over the past two seasons. Manager Trey Hillman has been forced to be very "creative" in making defensive assignments and lineups. The front office attempted to address the lack of depth this offseason by obtaining: Chris Getz, Josh Fields, and a puzzling slew of outfielders in: Ankiel, Anderson, and Posednik. So, is Alex Gordon a bust in the context of super-stardom? Probably. A total bust? Well, if nothing else, a healthy and slightly improved Alex Gordon should keep Willie Bloomquist and Alberto Callaspo off of third base this season (speaking defensively of course. I would love to see them both hit as many triples as possible).