My Favorite Gordon

Royals third baseman Alex Gordon has certainly failed to live up to the hype this season after being the second player taken in the 2005 draft and becoming the 2006 Baseball America Player of the Year after posting a gaudy line of .325-29-101 at Double-A Wichita last season.  The good news is that there are signs he is getting the hang of the majors.

After hitting two home runs Sunday, he is now hitting .278-8-22 in 169 at-bats since the All-Star Break.  His 9/42 BB/K ratio leaves something to be desired, but progress is progress.  He has been nice protection in the five hole for the Royals, now protecting designated hitter Mike Sweeney - until Sweeney gets hurt again.

Most fantasy owners who paid for Gordon's services are probably disappointed with what he has produced this season, but he is starting to look like a viable option in all leagues for the final stretch.  Gordon is well on his way to a 15-15 season in his rookie season with 14 home runs and 13 steals with almost a full month left to go, and the power is finally coming around.

Fellow third basemen Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Braun were taken fourth and fifth overall in the same 2005 draft, respectively.  They have each made quicker progress at the major-league level than Gordon.  Still, we see plenty of cases when eventual stars struggle out of the gate, and many other cases when great, young players level off and never produce much more than they did in their first year or two (Jose Cruz Jr., anyone?).  That is not to suggest that Zimmerman or Braun are in for big declines anytime soon, but it would be foolish to sour on Gordon just because he has not matched the early-career performance of his 2005 third base draft-mates.