 Serious baseball fans knew all about Alex Gordon before the infamous rookie "error" card ruckus earlier this year. This season proves he's no one-card wonder.
Lincoln, Nebraska may be considered football territory but baseball's top prospect is one proud and talented Husker.
Third baseman Alex Gordon has been named the winner of the 2006 J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year. Gordon, the Kansas City Royals first round pick and No. 2 overall selection in the 2005 June Free Agent Draft, was adds the honor to the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award he received last month.
Gordon got the word while on the road Tuesday...and the fact that it existed was a surprise to him.
Gordon was named Royals Minor League Player of the Year and Texas League Player of the Year. He hit .325 with 39 doubles, 29 home runs and 101 RBI for Class AA Wichita. He ranked second among all minor leaguers in total bases (286) and fourth in runs scored (111). Gordon was tied for fourth
in slugging percentage (.588) and fifth in extra-base hits (69), while finishing among the minor league leaders in home runs (tied for eighth) and RBI (tied for 10th). He was one of just five individuals in the U.S. minor league system to record at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases.
But it was the fact that he was included at all in Topps' 2006 baseball card set that had the memorabilia world buzzing last spring. Several variations including some blank cards and printing scraps made their way into Topps packs, causing prices to soar.
Gordon, 22, made his mark in the second half of the season, helping the Wranglers to the Texas League Championship series. Following the All-Star Game in mid-June, he hit .346 with 20 home runs 70 RBI and 65 runs scored in 67 games.
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