Alex Gordon Caps Comeback Season With 2011 Gold Glove
by Freneau on Nov 1, 2011 11:43 PM EDT
in Kansas City Royals News
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PrintAlex Gordon, who just a short time ago was playing 3rd base for the Royals, was awarded a Gold Glove for his work this season in left field. Jeff Francoeur was a finalist in right field, but was beaten out by Nick Markakis. The last Royal to win a Gold Glove was Mark Grudizelanek's lifetime achievement-esque award in 2006.
I don't know if Gordon was the best left fielder in baseball, and right now, I really don't care. As one of the pro-Gordon Royals fans, I'm simply happy to see him earn some recognition. We heard quite a bit about Francoeur's arm (because we hear a lot about all things Francoeur), but it was actually Gordon who led the Majors with 20 assists. Let's just say, it wasn't Gordon that I remember some Royals officials glowing about on Twitter this summer. Amongst fans, my sense is that it was something of a surprise that Gordon was even a finalist, much less a winner.
But that's how Gordon's 2011 has gone. After years of injuries, uneven performance, and more than a little bad luck, Gordon revived his career.
Although I was mildly critical of the Royals above (more from the PR side of things) credit should go to the men involved in the decision to move Gordon off of third a few years back. I don't think Gordon was a disaster in the infield, but perhaps the new position helped him focus more on hitting. Certainly, his glove played this season as well. And moreover, since the move was made early enough, we have a smooth transition to the Shea Hillenbrand era at the hot corner.
In an era of widely available advanced defensive metrics, the Gold Gloves aren't what they used to be. This is a good thing. Nevertheless, for the time being, they're still a part of the conversation, and, perhaps just as importantly, part of the historical record. This award is thus a nice honor for Gordon, something that will stick on the back of his baseball card for the rest of his career. Congrats to Alex. Now let's see if he can muster a Top 10 MVP finish, which is sorely deserved.
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Pretty Awesome
Kudos to AG. He dominated.
Royal love from the Rockies.
Hey there AG
is there still a contingent of Colorado citizens who are die-hard Royals fans? I remember taking family vacations there in 1990 and 1991 when all the restaurant/sports bars had Royals games on the telly, and I thought that was awesome.
"On the last day of your life, don't forget to die."
- David Berman
I'm Not Sure...
I see some KC hats around town, but I haven’t met any fellow die-harders. Tough to blame folks who might have bailed over the last 20 years (I’ve only been here 3).
Royal love from the Rockies.
by AnnoyedGrunt on Nov 1, 2011 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions
It kind of actually blows me away that Gordon got some props.
Really, it’s as if he spontaneously turned into dust before the season started……I mean, the guy’s 6.x WAR is fucking significant, right? Wherein does that place him amongst other outfielders?
"On the last day of your life, don't forget to die."
- David Berman
if i may
Not quite an answer, but you may find his to be of interest:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/alex-gordon-superstar-part-the-first/
Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.
Before getting tweaked, read up on regression.
by Matt Klaassen on Nov 2, 2011 12:17 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Pumped for him. He may not have actually been the best, but who cares? This is our guy. Many here believed in him when it seemed everyone else had given up on him. But he kept going, played the position better than he had any right doing so in his first year. And even if it’s just a stupid and meaningless awar, I’ll take it.
Congrats to Alex
Nice recognition for a great season. The fact that he is still relatively new to the position makes this even more impressive.
I really enjoyed having strong arms in the OF this year. While it was fun watching opposing runners get thrown out, it was also fun watching them skid to a stop instead of trying to take the extra base.
by Black and Gold on Nov 1, 2011 11:54 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
the sad thing about this meaningless award is that it probably cost glass a few million on the extension...
i feel like arbitrators look at awards like this…and then a contract extension is based at least partly on likely arbitration awards….but oh well…good for him…and i guess good for the royals, b/c god knows if he hadnt hit the hell out of the ball and just been an all around badass he wouldnt have won this award
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 1, 2011 11:55 PM EDT reply actions
probably a post on this tomorrow...
I think it will make him slighty more expensive in arb, but I’m not sure it will be in the millions…
the flip side is that it might make a longterm deal more liklely
the flip side is that it might make a longterm deal more liklely
and we’re assuming that’s a good thing?
Honest question.
"On the last day of your life, don't forget to die."
- David Berman
I think it's a good thing.
Locking up talent for the long term is the key for us keeping a playoff window open for more than a year or two.
The only downside to Alex seems to be the propensity to injuries, but I think that’s a chance we need to take for someone with his talent.
I’m just sayin’…….. repeatable at 90% even? Color me unsure.
"On the last day of your life, don't forget to die."
- David Berman
In an extension, he wouldn’t be getting paid for 90% of his spectacular 2011 performance. Both the Royals and Gordon’s agent have some idea of what Gordon’s true talent level is, and know that his track record includes only one very good season. An extension would include some risk for the Royals, a good deal of security for Gordon and probably a good deal for the Royals overall. (of course this depends on the terms, but I’m assuming a deal that was as fair and team friendly as the Soria, Greinke and Butler extensions.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Nov 2, 2011 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions
i would have voted for Gardner
But as a fellow pro-Gordonite, I’m happy for him, if kind of embarrassment. Despite Joe Sheehan’s predictable hissy fit, this wasn’t even the worst choice this season, Kemp and Ethier were far worse. At least Gordon is good.
Despite the weirdness, I’m surprised and happy. Congratulation, Air Gordon.
Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.
Before getting tweaked, read up on regression.
by Matt Klaassen on Nov 1, 2011 11:55 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 3 recs
feel the same...
mostly, i’m just stunned at this result
this is so… un-everything-Alex Gordon
by Freneau on Nov 1, 2011 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Gardner gets underrated by all the mainstream people
it’s an understandable cause, but in this case, I’ll take Gordon winning
as a fan
Should Gardener have won the award?
Yeah, probably.
But I give absolutely no F’s for the Yankees fan base, only a small, almost non-existent sympathy for Gardener himself.
Why?
1) Because they’re the damn Yankees, so screw ’em
2) Jeter has five Gold Gloves.
#2 is a very good point
If Gardner wants to be mad at anyone, he should be mad at Jeter.
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Nov 2, 2011 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions
It makes perfect sense
To take into account stupid voters giving a guy at a different position multiple gold gloves when deciding on LF.
how's this?
If Gardner wants to be mad at anyone, he should be mad at Jeter.
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Nov 3, 2011 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Full agreement, sir.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!
by KeepItCopacetic on Nov 2, 2011 2:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Greek-French relations have never been worse
because the fucking Greeks backed out of the deal that the Germans and French brokered to save their economy, which includes pardoning half their national debt and cutting the hell out of their bloated budget. Their asshole crook of a prime minister is now going to call a referendum so that lazy bunch of tax-cheating bums can vote on whether they have to pay back some of the money they borrowed. He took the precaution of firing the heads of the three armed services and replacing them with handpicked men, apparently out of fear of a military coup.
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
I like the referendum
The Greeks didn’t get to vote on entering the Eurozone. There’s no way to go back and fix that, but It seems only fair that they get to vote on whether it’s worth all of these sacrifices to stay in the Eurozone.
Also, it seems like his government would have fallen if they’d tried to push the deal through parliament, so what would that have accomplished.
Papandreou's government is probably going to fall
before they get around to the referendum (tentatively scheduled for December) anyway. What the fall of his government might accomplish is getting somebody who’s not a crook into office there. Good luck in that. Their government pushed like hell to get into the Eurozone in the first place; there were lots of voices saying not to take them, their economy didn’t meet the standards.
Fun fact that came out today: There are more Porsches in Greece than there are people declaring an income of at least €50,000.
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
I don't like referendums anyway
Give me representative democracy, not populism.
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
I'm not a big fan of referendums
But the people of a country should be allowed to vote whether their state is going to become part of a larger political union. I know that the Europeans don’t have the history of having the voters ratify the Constitution like we did, but at some point, you’ve got to let the people weigh in on the basic structure of the government, including ceding away sovereignty to some larger union.
In Spain they had referenda (?)
on joining the EU (then it was the EEC) and on joining NATO. There was no referendum on joining the eurozone; in fact, all the political parties agreed on it.
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
Doofi Is The
Plural of doofus, right?
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Nov 2, 2011 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions
congratulations to alex on his major award
by ams5661 on Nov 2, 2011 12:06 AM EDT reply actions 4 recs
during his acceptance speech....
he gave props to Davey DeJeezy, saying this years award was for DeJesus, and then he kissed the Royals badge on his jersey, and said that next year any baserunners trying “any foolish shit” on the base paths would be “fucked, broken, and driven from the land.” Then, he looked at the camera, and kissed his right bicep, winked, and continued staring at the camera until they broke to a commercial. I still have goose bumps.
by Nighthawk at the Diner on Nov 2, 2011 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions 11 recs
We are blessed...
that Tom Waits, secretly posing as Nighthawk, is a Royals fan. How cool is that?
If women only slept with nice guys...guys would only be nice. And they don't. And we're not.
by setupunchtag on Nov 2, 2011 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
who is going to do the 2011 Gordon highlight reel
Set to…. Pantera’s “Domination”
I guess it’s a relatively long song, and baseball highlights aren’t lengthy…. Still would be awesome.
Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.
Before getting tweaked, read up on regression.
by Matt Klaassen on Nov 2, 2011 12:21 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
alternative:
just have a slideshow of photos and stats
in some ways, this would be better, because it would be worse
another funny part of the highlight reel
is that I think “Domination” is six minutes long… Baseball highlights aren’t exactly lengthy, and it’s not like Gordon has tons of “highlight real” plays… let’s see, 23 HR and 20 OF assists…that’s like 1 minute of highlights? I guess we could put in every double and groundball single in there.
AWESOME VIDEO
Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.
Before getting tweaked, read up on regression.
by Matt Klaassen on Nov 2, 2011 7:41 AM EDT up reply actions
60 seconds of highlights
5 minutes of Gordon playing catch in a golden cornfield with his bastard son.
I hope Alex really enjoys this
I don’t know whether the team did any campaigning for him, but maybe that’s what enabled him to pull off this surprise. I’m glad to see him get this kind of recognition. I get the impression that the gold glove still carries a lot of stature in the game, so I imagine Alex feels like this is a big accomplishment. I hope the team does a nice recognition for him early next year.
And once you’ve won a gold glove, they tend to just keep giving them to you as long as your performance doesn’t fall off a cliff, so here’s hoping this is the first of many.
If it's like Grudzie's he'll be on the field accepting it on Opening Day at the K on the 10th of April.
It would have been nice to have true opening Day at the K this year, but we’ve had it the last couple. Time for us to be on the road for the next couple openers.
The Royal Pork T....between inning snack of prized Royal Designated Hitters
the 10th though?...that sucks....so late
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 2, 2011 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Domination indeed!
I am probably the only Royals fan in Hong Kong?
by Yamfun Cheng Kamfun on Nov 2, 2011 1:36 AM EDT reply actions
Alex Gordon
Congratulations on a well deserved honor
Alex Gordon and Jorge Orta, joined in history
Someone else might have deserved the call a little more, but we Royals fans will happily take it
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
by cmkeller on Nov 2, 2011 2:18 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Good for Alex
Sometimes I felt his season was going completely unnoticed by the mainstream. No All star appearance, Jeff Francouer being hailed as the Royals MVP by both the radio and television broadcasts, etc.
He deserved the inaugural left field gold glove, and I am glad he was not overlooked. I am sure he will be Royals MVP-but thank God the Royals broadcasters don’t vote on it.
"Trying is the first step to sucking" -Jimmy Chance
So when do we extend his contract, and for how much?
Nice to see a Royal get some national recognition. He’s not going to be able to keep up this 6+ WAR level because part of his stats this year were due to a high BABIP, and when that regresses the rest of his stats will, too. Just from watching him on the MLBtv highlights, he sure looks like he’s doing everything right, so I don’t think his WAR will drop below 4 for the next four or five years. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a couple more seasons similar to 2011 in his future.
Offer him 3/$25m plus a couple of club options for real star player money.
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
Back in August, I suggested 3/23 plus one club option year
2012 $5M
2013 $8M
2014 $10M
2015 $10M (club option)
I doubt he’d go for two club option years, even if those options are for huge amounts of money. If he’s good enough for the Royals to consider excercising the second huge club option, that means he would have been performing very well and could get a big long-term contract from someone.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Nov 2, 2011 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions
do you think adding another year to make it 4 plus an option would be a good idea?
something he’d be amenable to?
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 2, 2011 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Good question
I think it would be a good idea for the Royals. Some players would like that added guaranteed money. Some would balk at giving up that many FA years. I’d certainly offer it. I think the money in those later years would have to go up. Maybe something like:
2012 $5M
2013 $8M
2014 $10M
2015 $12M
2016 $14M (club option)
And then of course there’s the possibility that they flatten out the contract more like they did for Butler, which would be in the interest of both the Royals and Gordon.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Nov 2, 2011 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah...making it relatively frontloaded like butler would be nice....
and moore somewhat surprisingly showed that he realized it might be a good idea…so hopefully he’ll do it again
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 2, 2011 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions
It seems like such a no brainer
That I will be worried if a deal isn’t done in the next month or so. It’s not like Dayton can say he’s waiting to see how the market shakes out (cough, Francoeur).
by thelaundry on Nov 2, 2011 10:50 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Dates of prior Moore extensions (FWIW)
Soria 5/17
Greinke 1/26
Butler 1/22
For both Greinke and Butler, the contract was announced after arbitration numbers were exchanged and before the scheduled arbitration hearing. I (tentatively) expect the same for Gordon.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Nov 2, 2011 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah...it'd be prudent in my mind....
for moore to wait and see what happens in the early part of the offseason….see what money he has tied up in the present and in the future…its not like alex’s value is going to shoot up from now until january or february
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 2, 2011 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Francoeur 8/18
I know he was a pending FA unlike the others, but Dayton decided to make the deal more than 2 months before the start of free agency. If the offseason works in such a way that it is prudent to extend Gordon in January, fine. But he didn’t follow that logic with Frenchy.
As much fun as been had mocking Dayton and his admiration for Frenchy, I didn’t get worked up about it because Dayton had prior opportunities to acquire him and didn’t. And when he did, it was one year for reasonable money.
But the extension bothers me the more I think about it. Did Dayton get himself a discount by striking early? We don’t know because there is no market to compare it to yet. But my guess is he didn’t, at least not enough to justify making the deal when he did. Frenchy might have had a better chance of getting a multiyear deal than Chen does, but when the Royals would be the overwhelming favorite to resign Francoeur to a contract of any length, Dayton really overplayed his hand.
I know I’m stating the obvious, but I’m not sure I can keep my expectations of Dayton so low that my reaction is “meh” when a decision he makes is truly dumb.
by thelaundry on Nov 2, 2011 2:06 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The proof will be in the pudding
Frenchy beat expectations this season, and GMDM was right and most of us were (at least partly) wrong. Moore has faith that Frenchy will continue to succeed (although “succeed” for Moore might be different than “succeed” for many others in modern baseball). If Frenchy puts up two more average seasons, Moore will look smart. If not, Moore will look like he made a bad deal, and there won’t be any excuses.
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Nov 2, 2011 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions
And The Children
Will suffer, as usual. Won't someone please think of them!
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Nov 2, 2011 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Mrs. Lovejoy checking in
Nice.
by thelaundry on Nov 2, 2011 11:02 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Petro was saying yesterday...
the days of AG coming cheap are gone, and would likely walk with an offer of 4/35 (4/60 would be more likely), and that on the open market in two years he’d be looking at some serious money. If he’s locked up for more than three years, then AG would be looking at only one or two year contracts from that point on, as a 32 year-old (assuming he got a 4-year deal). If he walks after his Royals committment, he’d be 30, going into 2014 and would be more able to sign a 5 or 6 year deal somewhere else. I tend to agree and I think if the Royals want Gordon for more than two years, it will have to be for 5 or 6, not 3 or 4.
If women only slept with nice guys...guys would only be nice. And they don't. And we're not.
petro is sort of an idiot though...
guys who are comparable to AG have gotten nowhere near 4/60
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 3, 2011 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
also, this math doesn't work
32-year-old gets only 1or 2 year deals
30-year-old gets 5 or 6 year deals
The general point, though pretty speculative, seems about right.
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Nov 3, 2011 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions
plus he may want the security
After all, his last two seasons were injury-riddled and when he was playing he didn’t play well, at least in the majors. The Royals have some leverage now, as a lot can happen in two years. It would make sense for Gordon to give up, say, one free agent year to get some security on something like a 3/25 deal rather risking getting hurt and/or playing badly in his walk year and turning into Eric Hinske.
Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.
Before getting tweaked, read up on regression.
by Matt Klaassen on Nov 3, 2011 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Funny You Should
Mention Hinske.
Most Similar by Ages
View Similar Player Links in Pop-up
Hold mouse over #’s to see names
Pinky Higgins (950) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Butch Hobson (960) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Joe Crede (958) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Alex Gordon (976) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Fernando Tatis (956) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Scott Spiezio (958) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Vince DiMaggio (958) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Brad Wilkerson (958) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Vince DiMaggio (950) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
Scott Spiezio (948
If Gordon Or Hinske can replicate the career of Pinky Higgins, they will have succeeded.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Nov 3, 2011 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions
The Royals should give him a $1 million signing bonus
if he changes his name to Pinky Higgins, II
Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.
Before getting tweaked, read up on regression.
by Matt Klaassen on Nov 3, 2011 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions
but he's got dimaggio on there...
TWICE….
wait, thats the 3rd best dimaggio brother?
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 3, 2011 9:44 PM EDT up reply actions
The Other Other
DiMaggio!
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Nov 3, 2011 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Douchebag Spezio, Too!
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Nov 3, 2011 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions
he's got a sweet tat though
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 3, 2011 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions
"guys who are comparable to AG have gotten nowhere near 4/60"
You’re right. Jason Werth got 7/126…and Werth was two years older than Gordon would be going into his FA.
If women only slept with nice guys...guys would only be nice. And they don't. And we're not.
In what sense is Gordon comparable to Werth a year ago?
Werth had posted 3 straight 5+ WAR seasons.
well...and werth was actually a FA
with multiple suitors willing to give him tens of millions…gordon can guarantee money from one team right now
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Nov 3, 2011 9:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Shameless self-promotion, part MCMLXVII
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/air-gordon-and-the-price-of-domination/
Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.
Before getting tweaked, read up on regression.
by Matt Klaassen on Nov 2, 2011 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
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