On Tuesday night it was announced that recently retired Royals left fielder Alex Gordon, earned his eight Gold Glove award, tying him for the most in Royals history with Royals great second baseman Frank White.
Now, Alex Gordon has earned another award at the end of his illustrious career. Between Tuesday and Friday night, fans voted and analytics were given for the American and National league players to earn the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award. Gordon was the winner of the award on the American League side, the second Platinum Glove of his career.
The winners of the 2020 Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards, which are presented each year to the best overall defensive player in each league, were announced on MLB Network on Friday night, and they are no strangers to the honor -- in the American League, Royals left fielder Alex Gordon won the award for the second time, and Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado won for the fourth consecutive year in the National League.
Gordon, who announced that 2020 would be his final Major League season following a 14-year career, was a fixture in the Royals' lineup for all 14 seasons. He is a three-time All-Star and helped lead Kansas City to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014 and '15, with the Royals winning their first championship in 30 years when they defeated the Mets in '15.
"A lot of players today, they hate the outfield because there's so much time to think out there," Gordon said on MLB Network following the awards announcement. "But in between pitches, before it's about ready to happen, I always think about just what might happen, what I need to do, where I need to be. Visualization in the outfield and kind of that preparation before the play happens is huge and helped me out a lot."
Gordon was initially a third baseman for Kansas City, but moved to left field full-time following the 2010 season. He said he has many people to thank for his ability to transition to the outfield, as well as get through several injuries that hampered him over the years, but above all, his parents had the biggest influence on his successful Major League career.