What Happened to Alex Gordon?

Just ask Zack Grienke; Kansas City might not be the best place to play baseball if you want national recognition. But, in the case of former number one overall draft pick Alex Gordon, it's probably a good thing he has basically fallen off the map.

The former two-time Gatorade Nebraska Player of the Year, college superstar, #1 rated prospect in baseball, and 2006 Minor League Player of the Year has gone from heralded prospect to relative obscurity in just three professional seasons. An almost consensus favorite to win the MLB Rookie of the Year award in 2007, Gordon was extremely disappointing, batting only .247 with 15 home runs in 151 games. Match that against his 2005 year at Nebraska of a .372 average and 19 home runs in only 72 and there's clearly a bit of trouble adjusting to the majors.

Ok, adjustment period is over, 2008 was going to be the year he broke out. Wrong. Gordon continued to struggle to the tune of a .260 average and hit only one more home run than the previous season. He did put up some startling numbers during the '07 season though, 120 strikeouts and a .955 fielding percentage with 16 errors, both of which were lowest among AL third baseman. And just to pile on the kid, a torn right quadricep placed him on the Royals' 15-day disabled list.

Which brings us to the current season. The injury bug struck early, and hard, for Gordon in the form of a muscle tear in his right hip just 2 weeks into the season. He returned from the DL in mid-July, but only remained with the team for about a month before being optioned to back to Triple-A Omaha until rosters expanded in September. A fairly forgetable 2009 campaign has him hitting only .198 with 11 RBI in 29 games as off today.

So what has happened to this seemingly "can't miss" prospect that was destined to be one of the great third baseman? Is it too early to tell if he will live up to the hype, or was the hype simply that? Maybe he just needs a change of scenery; it seems to have done wonders for Josh Hamilton.

The struggles of Alex Gordon in adjusting to major league ball should serve a giant warning flag to anyone who is ready annoit players like Bryce Harper as the next sure fire future Hall of Famer. Wait until they get between the lines on the big stage before making any rash judgments. That's problem with hype, it can envelop players and bury them from the sight of baseball fans.