The Kansas City Royals are adding a new member to their Hall of Fame. On Friday, the Royals officially announced Alex Gordon as the lone inductee in the 2025 class.
Gordon was a stalwart for the Royals. He spent his entire 14-year career with the organization and was beloved for his contributions on and off the field.
“My family and I are beyond grateful and humbled,” Gordon said in a news release. “I’ve said this before but my heart has always and will always be with the Royals. All I ever thought about was working as hard as I could, and being the best teammate I could. The memories we made will stick with me forever, and this incredible honor is a reflection of our amazing teammates, coaches, trainers, staff and fans in Kansas City.”
In recent days, the Royals hinted at his Hall of Fame induction. The club released a series of vignettes that previewed the incoming announcement. He received induction on his first ballot after retiring in 2020.
Gordon now joins an illustrious group that includes George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson and Bo Jackson among others.
And, Gordon will fit right in.
“I grew up a Kansas City Royals fan being from Nebraska,” Gordon said Friday. “It was our major-league team to cheer for and my favorite player was George Brett. At a very young age, it was always my dream to play in the big leagues. It wasn’t really to play for Kansas City, that was just the icing on the cake. Once I got involved in the organization and found out what people were running it and how they were running it, I knew this is where I wanted to stay.”
Gordon defined the Royals’ ethos of hard work and determination throughout this career. He was a gamer that left it all on the field. In his career, Gordon was named a three-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove Award winner.
He also has two Platinum Gloves. His defense was key in the Royals’ back-to-back World Series runs in 2014 and 2015. Offensively, Gordon finished his career with a .257 batting average, 190 home runs and 749 RBIs.
“The guys I kind of liked watching play, George Brett and Cal Ripken Jr., just always played hard,” Gordon said. “They were always playing the game the right way and playing hard. That’s how, when I got into the position they were in, I kind of wanted to resemble that whether it was good or bad on the field.”
Gordon had his best statistical season in 2014. He finished 12th in American League MVP voting after leading the Royals to their first World Series since 1985.
A year later, the Royals won the 2015 World Series. He blasted a game-tying home run against the New York Mets in Game 1 at Kauffman Stadium. Gordon performed well in the playoffs and is second all-time behind Hal McRae with 10 postseason doubles in club history.
“The 2015 season was something special, especially rebounding like we did after 2014,” Gordon said. “The Hall of Fame is great, but 2015 is something that me and those teammates will cherish forever.”
The Royals will induct Gordon into the Hall of Fame on June 13 at Kauffman Stadium. He will be celebrated with a pregame ceremony ahead of the regular-season game against the Athletics.
“Alex has been and always will be one of the most respected Royals ever,” said Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “Nobody prepared the way he did and his work ethic couldn’t be matched.”
Gordon is the latest player to join the Hall of Fame. Last season, the Royals inducted three members including Jackson and former general managers Cedric Tallis and John Schuerholz.
Now, Gordon will take his rightful spot alongside the Royals’ greatest players.
“I wanted to know, at the end of the day, that I was giving the people that I was playing with, the coaches, my teammates and the fans the best version of myself each and every day,” Gordon said.
