In a piece dated July 14, 2012—so, long before most casual fans has amassed significant and appropriate appreciation—I suggested in no uncertain terms that the success of this team rode squarely on the shoulders of the (then) oft-injured Lorenzo Cain. I spent far too many words extolling his virtues and saying that his career would be “…a true measure of Dayton Moore’s time in Kansas City.” This was all, however, based on his ability to stay healthy.
To that point, Cain’s professional playing time had been marred by nagging leg injuries. Hamstring pulls, sore groins, things of that nature. Though he had all the natural talent in the world, his existence had been cursed by fragility.
But then, something happened.
He spent time in the offseason learning how to run appropriately. He dedicated himself to self-preservation. And it paid off. He became, as I suggested, one of the most important players on the team. As a catalyst both at the plate and in the field, he became the most indispensable outfielder on the team.
Well, except for one guy.
Alex Gordon went down at the warning track in the 4th inning of last night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, causing a collective stomach churn for the 29,000 in attendance, plus millions of others across the metro and beyond. Initially, everyone was quick to suspect a torn ACL, something that would have been utterly disastrous. (Others still thought it was his ankle, and Rex Hudler inexplicably suggested that it was his hand.) Instead, it was a strained groin. And although a strained groin sounds much less ominous than an ACL—I hastily tweeted “STRAINED LEFT GROIN!” at the news—there’s a lot to be said for the severity of the injury.
The most serious strain could mean three months on the shelf. This would mean, simply put, that Gordon would be done until October and consequently, almost certainly done as a Kansas City Royal.
So if you’re the Royals, you probably plan for the worst. You go target Ben Zobrist from the Oakland Athletics and hope for the best. You hack 2 or so wins off of your record, the likely difference between the two, and hope that it’s not an insurmountable figure. You remember fondly the amazing years that Gordo gave you in left-field, and fully recognize that someone will still grossly overpay him this winter. (And that is in no way a slight against Alex—more so the irrationality of baseball finance.)
The “best case” scenario, perhaps, would seem to be some sort of return at the end of August or the beginning of September. Even then, one would have to wonder what kind of ramp-up time would be required to once again make him “Alex F’ing Gordon.” The super disillusioning thing about a groin strain is that there’s very little room for error; “rubbing some dirt on it” runs a high risk of re-aggravation and just making things flat-out worse. Even if we DO get “best case,” I still think you make the move for Zobrist. Then upon Gordon’s return, you play Zobrist at second and shoot Omar Infante out of a canyon and into the ocean.
This hurts, sure, but it doesn’t mean the season is sunk. The Royals have the second highest win percentage in all of baseball and the best record in the American League; it’ll take more than the loss of a single player to close the carnival.
Godspeed, Gordon, you magnificent bastard.
Agreed. Gordon is overall the Royals best player. He hits around .275, 15 homers, maybe more this year had he been healthy, drives in important runs. Best outfielder. Just a solid player. Now KC will see if they need him next year for 100 million five year deal. I’d love to have him back, I doubt that will happen due his age and cost. The Royals win the division without him, but will need him back for playoffs to win it all. Gordon isn’t a true clutch hitter or power guy or even high average guy, but he has been our most dependable offensive weapon to this point.