Both Alex Gordon and his team, the Kansas City Royals, are set up for a stellar year. Despite finishing with a losing record in 17 of the last 18 seasons, KC may have the game’s best collection of young prospects. But they’ll look to a five-year veteran, the 28-year-old left fielder Gordon, for leadership.
Gordon signed a contract extension, for $37.5 million, that will keep him in small-market Kansas City through 2016 (he has a player option for the final year). So now that Kansas City has opened its checkbooks—a relatively rare event for the low-revenue franchise—fans will expect Gordon to improve upon an impressive 2011, when he hit .303, with 23 homers and 87 RBI. He also took home his first Gold Glove.
Last year, Gordon finally enjoyed a breakout campaign, thanks to a swing change implemented by Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. By committing to Gordon long-term, however, Kansas City is still taking a risk. After all, Gordon underachieved in his first four seasons. Will the new and improved Gordon show up in 2012? The fate of a long-suffering franchise depends on it.