RADIO
Alex Gordon was putting together another solid year until he lunged for a fly ball and suffered a Grade 2 groin strain (ow) that took him out of play for a couple of months. He was able to return late in the season (but was given more rest than usual) and be a part of their championship run, notably hitting the moonshot off of Jeurys Familia in the World Series.
He ended the year with 422 plate appearances (about two-thirds of a normal season) and he turned in 40 runs, 13 homers, 48 RBIs, 2 steals (he was caught five times) and hit .271. The noticeable slip in his counting stats is probably also due to batting sixth most of the time, whereas last year he was penciled into the five hole most often. He embodies the modest offensive approach that the Royals take, and as such he isn’t viewed as a fantasy “must have”. Like Eric Hosmer, he chips in but isn’t out there to blast a ton of home runs and carry the offense.
Do note his probable spot in the order if you’re anticipating a return to 2011-2014 levels, but he should be a solid contributor in 2016. If he jumps back to hitting second, bump him up. Currently the 49th OF off the board, if he's your OF4 or OF5 you'll be mighty happy.
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