"Under The Gun" takes a look at one player from each team who will bear all the pressure for the upcoming '08 season.Royals third baseman Alex Gordon has been under a lot of pressure since the first time he stepped on a Major League field in a Royals uniform. I mean, most people in Kansas City had been proclaiming him the next George Brett even though the majority of them had never even seen the kid play.
Those are some pretty lofty expectations for a 23-year old kid (Alex just turned 24 last week). It's tough enough adapting to the Majors as a rookie, let alone having to do so while everyone expects you to play like a Hall of Famer. So it's not surprising that Alex had a very un-Hall of Fame like season in 2007.
Gordon finished his first season with a batting average of .247 and an OBP of .314. He also hit 15 homers and drove in 60 runs, while striking out 137 times compared to 41 walks. While it would still be unfair to expect Alex to have a breakout season in 2008, it would be nice to see him improve his walk and strikeout numbers, which should also help raise his batting average.
The Royals actually had a pretty decent season in 2007, but recent Royals standards anyway, and if the team is going to continue to improve it's going to be up to guys like Gordon and fellow youngsters Mark Teahen, and Billy Butler to produce runs. Something all three of them have the ability to do.
