Will Gordon be a Late-Bloomer in the Bigs?

By Todd Neeley

Good to see former Nebraska star Alex Gordon back in the majors after a solid stint in Omaha, but the questions still remain about whether the Lincoln native will ever reach his potential. This Associated Press story in the Lincoln Journal Star offers hope to those of us who follow Gordon closely, http://www.huskerextra.com/articles/2010/08/04/baseball/doc4c58c79c971ff358574130.txt.

Gordon has had an injury-plagued career and hasn’t turned out to be the all-star that many scouts and others expected him to be.

Gordon’s switch to outfield from third base was successful in Omaha, where he hit 14 homers and batted over .300, but he has yet to show he can do it in the majors.

The AP said Gordon appears to have found that place of peace now in his return to KC, and most importantly appears to have rediscovered his swing.

This may be a case where Gordon is a late bloomer in the bigs, but it may not happen until he gets a change of scenery. Let’s face it, KC has a checkered past when it comes to developing players then letting them get away.

Maybe this is the rare occasion where KC drafted well but lost patience. If that’s the case, you wouldn’t know by the KC staff’s willingness to keep Gordon in its long-term plans.

Maybe his chances improve if he moves to a franchise that has a history of developing talent.

In this story Gordon concedes that he was feeling a bit of pressure when he first arrived in KC, with all the comparisons made to George Brett, and who can forget the standing ovation he received in his first at-bat in KC. Yeah, that’s pressure.

From day one Gordon hasn’t been his same old self in KC, even after dominating the minors in Wichita for a season. After earning minor league player-of-the-year honors, all indications in Royals camp the following spring was that Gordon was the best player on the roster.

So what happened?

Maybe it’s a Royals curse. Or maybe Gordon just hasn’t found his stride.

Whatever the case, the end of this season and the beginning of next is a critical point in Gordon’s career.