No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only.
Here is the ranking of the top 5 left fielders in Royals history.
1) Alex Gordon, 2007-20
Key facts: Three-time All-Star, eight Gold Glove Awards, two Platinum Glove Awards
This is pretty much a no-brainer. After Gordon retired in 2020, his No. 4 hasn’t been worn by another player, and he was elected to the Royals Hall of Fame in 2025.
Gordon’s defensive accomplishments are remarkable: Eight AL Gold Glove Awards, three Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards and two AL Platinum Glove Awards.
He finished his career with 102 outfield assists.
“To put it simply,” longtime Royals coach Rusty Kuntz said, “he is the gold standard of left fielders in baseball.”
It’s almost hard to believe, or remember, that Gordon was drafted as a third baseman. He then was demoted to Triple-A in 2010, essentially so he could learn to play outfield under Kuntz’s tutelage.
Gordon finished his career a forever Royal, playing all 14 years with Kansas City and logging 1,753 games. He slashed .257/.338/.410 with 190 career home runs and 749 career RBIs. He had his special postseason moments, too, like his game-tying solo home run in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series.
2) Bo Jackson, 1986-90
Key facts: 1989 All-Star, one All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award
Oh, what could have been had Bo not been hurt.
“I never saw a human being do the things he could do on a baseball field,” legendary Royal George Brett said of Jackson.
Royals Hall of Famer Frank White also once said of Jackson, “You know what? I really did play baseball with Superman.”
In five seasons with the Royals, Jackson posted a .787 OPS with 109 home runs. His best season came in 1989 when he hit 32 home runs, drove in 105 runs and stole 26 bases.
But it wasn’t so much the numbers that created the Bo legacy -- it was the amount of jaw-dropping did-you-see-that moments he authored, whether he was throwing out a runner from the warning track or hitting 480-foot homers.
3) Lou Piniella, 1969-73
Key facts: 1969 Rookie of the Year Award, 1972 All-Star
“Sweet Lou” became a fan favorite quickly in Kansas City when he hit .282 with 11 home runs and 68 RBIs in the team’s inaugural season of 1969. He was a fierce competitor with a temper who demanded much of himself and his teammates.
Later, Piniella managed for 23 years with five different clubs, winning the Manager of the Year Award three times and winning a World Series title with the Reds in 1990.
4) Jim Eisenreich, 1987-92
Key fact: Hit .293 in 1989 with 33 doubles and 27 stolen bases
Plenty of great Royals center fielders such as Willie Wilson and Amos Otis spent time in left field as well, especially Wilson. But we’re going to categorize them as center fielders, which frankly leaves the left-fielder rankings a bit thin at this point. Eisenreich did play more than 200 games in left field during his Royals career, and he was a solid baseball player, so he’ll get the nod here.
5) Mark Quinn, 1999-2002
Key fact: Finished third for the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2000
Quinn had big power and a cannon for an arm. And he seemed destined for big things after hitting 20 home runs with 78 RBIs in 2000. His career faded quickly after that season and he never made it back to the big leagues after 2002.
Honorable mention
Lonnie Smith, 1985-87: Long-time Royals fans will remember it was always an adventure with “Skates” in the outfield.
Hal McRae, 1973-87: McRae was primarily a DH with the Royals, but he played 114 games in left field in 1975 and hit .306 with 71 RBIs.