KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- If all goes according to plan, Royals left fielder Alex Gordon will haul in his third Gold Glove after this season and become just the third Royal in team history -- joining Frank White (eight) and Amos Otis (three) -- to be awarded at least three Gold Gloves.
But Gordon has a not-so-secret wish:
"I'd like for us to have more than one Gold Glove," Gordon says. "We deserve it. We got guys at almost every position who deserve consideration for one. That's how good we are, I think."
Gordon's ascension to an elite left fielder has been well documented. He was switched from third base to left field while in the minors in 2010, worked tirelessly at his new position, and won Gold Gloves in 2011 and 2012.
He had a major league-high 20 assists in 2011, and 17 last year.
"Getting the first Gold Glove was obviously very special for all the work I put in," Gordon says. "I took great pride in that, and I've always believed in the value of hard work. Then getting the second one was important because you want to prove to everyone you can be consistent and it wasn't just a one-year thing."
Getting three Gold Gloves would be putting Gordon in rare company.
"Sure, it would be nice," he says, smiling. "But I'd trade it in an instant for a trip to the postseason."
Gordon might be in line for both. He has followed up his previous two seasons with another terrific season in left field.
"Alex is just the model of consistency," manager Ned Yost says. "He works so hard and just does everything exactly the way you're supposed to. It makes all of our jobs easier."
Gordon has not made an error in 232 total chances and leads all left fielders with 222 putouts. With a strong finish to 2013, he could lead all left fielders in assists. He has 10 now, tied with Cleveland's Michael Brantley and Chicago's Dayan Viciedo in the American League and one behind Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez in the majors.
"And it's not just all the statistics with Alex," reliever Tim Collins says, "it's that other teams don't really try to run on him because they know better now. That's huge for our pitching staff knowing balls into the corner might not be doubles after all."
Gordon also breaks on fly balls as well as anyone in the league, Royals coach Rusty Kuntz says.
"That first step," Kuntz says, "is always correct with him."
Gordon simply shrugs his shoulders at the compliment.
"Having (Jarrod) Dyson and (Lorenzo) Cain (now on the disabled list) in center sure makes my job a lot easier," Gordon says.
And someday, Gordon believes, Cain will be one of many Royals collecting some defensive hardware.
"He's made some unbelievable plays this year," Gordon says of Cain. "Game-saving stuff. But we've got a lot of guys who can say that."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
