KANSAS CITY, MO (November 10, 2017) - Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon has earned Defensive Player of the Year honors by Wilson Sporting Goods, announced earlier tonight as part of a one-hour special on MLB Network. The Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards recognize the top defensive player at each position across both the American and National Leagues. Gordon was named the best left fielder in the Majors for the second time in his career, also earning the award in 2014.
Gordon, 33, tied for seventh among Major League left fielders with eight assists this season, while his 82 outfield assists since the start of 2010 match Gerardo Parra for the most in the Majors. He ranked third among left fielders with a .993 fielding percentage, committing just two errors in 269 chances, while among AL outfielders he tied for eighth in games (147), ranked ninth in innings (1248.2) and was 10th in putouts (276). He played 140 games in left field, one in right and 15 in center field this season, seeing action in center for the first time in his Major League career.
Founded in 2012, the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award winners are determined using a formula that combines traditional defensive stats with advanced metrics as well as the data logged by the baseball experts working for the scouting service, Inside Edge. Gordon (2014, 2017) and Lorenzo Cain (2013, 2014) are the only Royals to be honored in the six-year history of the Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
Alex Gordon named a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year
Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon has earned Defensive Player of the Year honors by Wilson Sporting Goods, announced earlier tonight as part of a one-hour special on MLB Network. The Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards recognize the top defensive player at each position across both the American and National Leagues. Gordon was named the best left fielder in the Majors for the second time in his career, also earning the award in 2014.
November 11th, 2017