clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Royals' Alex Gordon: 'I'm Going To Dominate Next Year'

Royals' Alex Gordon says he's going to dominate in the 2011 season. Past history would say that's an exaggeration.

By Joel Thorman

Excuse some of us for smiling a little bit when Alex Gordon says this:

"I’m going to dominate next year," he vowed, "I can tell you that. Not that this year is over, but I’m going to dominate next year."

He made the comments to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star this week.

The only problem with a big proclamation like this is that there needs to be some sort of evidence to carry along with it. It doesn't mean anything if player X comes up and says, 'I'm hitting 50 home runs next year!' Well...what happens when you look at player X and realize that he's been in the big leagues for five years and has never swung the bat like someone that's going to hit 50 home runs.

It's sort of the same way I feel about Alex Gordon saying something like, "I'm going to dominate next year." I like the confidence, determination and the pressure he now places on himself with this.

There were some rumblings during MLB trade deadline week last July that the Royals would be open to trading Gordon. If that were accurate -- and we heard reports on both sides of the issue -- then it would indicate that he's not a cornerstone of the franchise moving forward.

Royals GM Dayton Moore told the KC Star that, yes, Gordon is part of their plans.

"I think Alex is going to have a great year next year," Moore said. "I really do. I think Alex is going to be a solid contributor. I’ll say this: You can win a championship with Alex Gordon on your club. We’re counting on him to be that type of guy when we’re ready to win."

Meanwhile, Ned Yost predicts 20-25 home runs and 80-85 runs batted in for Gordon next year. Would that be domination? Maybe relative to what Gordon has been since the Royals drafted him with the second overall pick in 2005.

Gordon's been injured this season, spent time at AAA, where he truly did dominate, and is now waiting for things to come around.

You root for someone like Gordon because the Royals placed so much hope in him. He was the safe pick as the college starter with years of experience.

Maybe he finally shows why he was the safe pick in 2011.