Even though Alex Gordon leaves the field for the last time, his impact will be felt for years to come

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF)— The Kansas City Royals ended their shortened 2020 season this weekend, and they said goodbye to gold-glove, all-star, left-fielder Alex Gordon.  All weekend the Royals paid bittersweet tributes to the player that was as important off the field as he was in the outfield.  Saturday night’s throw-out from left field to home plate gave fans one more look at Gordo’s incredible defensive ability.

 “Everybody has a memory of his great place in the outfield, but what they also remember is that as a player, he did it right and hustled and had a work ethic that was bar none,” said Royals Vice President of Publicity Toby Cook.

There were no fans in the stands to thank Gordon for his 14 seasons at the K, so teammates like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas paid tribute by smearing pine tar across their backs.  And so much more.

 “They put a plaque where his locker is and anyone who walks by that plaque and maybe occupies his locker one day will know that they’re sitting where a great player sat,” said Cook.

Gordon’s bobble heads and jerseys hold prominent positions in the team store, and anything game-used or even just baring his autograph has quickly became a hot commodity in the Authentics Store.

“We have a lot of autographed baseballs, bats, jerseys and helmets. But we are pretty limited on the game-used items so we are trying to take it easy this last week and see what we have and re-evaluate and decide what will go to auction versus what we’re going to sell out right,” said Royals Authentics Store manager Ashely Ficken.

 And of course, the Royals Hall of Fame, which already displays Gordon’s iconic homerun jersey from the 2015 World Series and his pine tar encrusted helmet from the 2014 season, is beefing up their Gordon exhibit even more for the next season.

According to Royals Hall of Fame Director Curt Nelson, “We have a lot of artifacts from his career already in the collection, so we are looking forward to celebrating his career so people can really enjoy and think about all the big moments he’s had over these seasons and what an important part he’s been to the Royals organization and Kansas City in general.”

Gordon is expected to earn a seat in the Royals Hall of Fame, but the earliest date he can be inducted is 2025, Until then everyone at the K hopes to see Gordo around. “I don’t know what the role is. My hope is that as long as we are hanging out at Kauffman Stadium, we see Alex for years to come,” said Cook.