KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, whose roller-coaster career took him from near bust to All-Star and Gold Glove winner, will retire after the season.
He said during a Zoom news conference Thursday that the pandemic reinforced his feelings that he wants to spend more time with his family and “catch up on things I’ve missed my whole life.”
Gordon had signed a one-year deal to play with the Royals, and now he will do what so few have done in pro sports: end his career with the team where it began.
Gordon thought about retirement last year, when the Royals were hiring Mike Matheny to replace his longtime manager Ned Yost and the team appeared to be rebuilding. But with teammates such as Danny Duffy and Salvador Perez still in the clubhouse, Gordon decided to keep playing for a team he believes is on the cusp of winning.
That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the game shut down, Gordon knew this would be the end.
Gordon was the second overall pick in the 2005 first-year player draft after a standout career at Nebraska, where he won the Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur in baseball. He made his big league debut two years later and, after a few years shuttling back and forth to the minors, moved from third base to the outfield and finally found success.
He wound up playing his entire 14-year career in Kansas City, joining George Brett and Frank White as position players with that much longevity with the franchise.