Royals’ Gordon enjoyed glimpse of post-playing career, but he’s in no hurry to quit
Alex Gordon is one of the faces of an era for Kansas City Royals baseball.
He’s one of the elite defensive players in the game. He’s a World Series champion. And he has established himself as a Kansas City sports icon.
Gordon, 36, is also a husband and a father. During the more than three-month hiatus as Major League Baseball regrouped to come up with a game plan for the COVID-19 pandemic and negotiated with its union, Gordon balanced training and home life in a manner the non-stop grind of the season simply doesn’t allow.
“I spent a lot of time with my family, my three kids, my wife, at home during the summer,” Gordon said. “It was just good to spend time with them. Spend quality time, go to their baseball games and stuff like that. So it did kind of open my eyes to what it might be like when I’m done playing. You know what, I kind of enjoyed it. It definitely put some perspective into everything.”
Even with that welcomed “glimpse” into his post-playing days, Gordon isn’t looking at this season — his 14th in the majors, all with the Royals — as a swan song.
Gordon told The Star in May that he hopes to play a “few” more years. Even as he expressed happiness that he had time this spring and early summer with his family that he hasn’t enjoyed before, he still has a strong desire to compete — and a love for the game.
“I’m going to keep trying to come back if they want me,” Gordon said Thursday.
Gordon struggled in 2018 with both injuries and a drop-off in offensive production, but he made some adjustments to his workout routine in order to better maintain his energy throughout the season, as well as adjustments to his swing.
Last season, Gordon posted a slash line of .266/.345/.396 with 76 RBIs, his most since 2013. His 31 doubles and 150 games were his most since 2014. He also earned his seventh AL Gold Glove award.
With a 60-game season this year, he’s not necessarily looking to take many days off.
“I’m sure that’s a possibility, maybe,” Gordon said of assuming lighter workload this season. “Playing more games and less off days might be a good opportunity for me. But at the end of the day, I want to play every day. I want to be out there competing every day. It’s really up to the manager, (Mike) Matheny, on what he wants to do. My mindset is to play 60 games and be in there every inning.”
Through the Royals’ first 60 games of last season, Gordon played in 57 (56 starts) with a .281 batting average, .367 OBP and .495 slugging percentage. He hit nine home runs and 16 doubles and drove in 38 runs.
With the circumstances of the season being so different this summer, it’s unlikely Matheny will have hard and fast rules on any player’s workload.
Matheny and his coaching staff have already seen the need to adjust their spring training schedule in order to avoid running players into the ground. Ramping back up after three and a half months of not playing in a competitive setting isn’t easy.
“You can train as much as you want,” Matheny said. “And Gordo is a great example — I mean, could a guy be in better physical shape than him? But coming out here for a long day, more swings, more defense, running bases, it’s a different kind of shape. We have to take that into consideration.”
Matheny said it’s important to remember they’re walking into a season that will start in the middle of the summer heat in the Midwest.
The Royals will play 17 consecutive days to start the season. It will be important to pay attention to the input of the training and medical staff and play it smart in such a unique situation.
“I think we love the idea of it being this sprint and we can all just run as fast as we can, but I don’t think that’s realistic,” Matheny said. “I think you could set yourself up to increase your odds of hurting somebody.”
This story was originally published July 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Royals’ Gordon enjoyed glimpse of post-playing career, but he’s in no hurry to quit."
