Alex Gordon is a former American professional baseball left fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2007 to 2020. As one of the top players in Royals franchise history, Gordon has been featured on numerous baseball cards over the years that commemorate his career accomplishments and milestones. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the most notable Alex Gordon baseball cards released since he began playing in the majors.
One of Gordon’s earliest card appearances came in 2007 Topps baseball card series. As a rookie that year, he was featured in the standard Topps base set as card number #658. This served as collectors’ first opportunity to add Gordon to their collections as his MLB career was just getting started. While not one of his most valuable cards today due to the large print run of Topps sets, it remains a key piece for Royals and Gordon completionists.
In 2008, Gordon’s sophomore season saw him start to emerge as an everyday player for Kansas City. This led to more prominent card releases, including in 2008 Topps Chrome Refractors parallel set. The Chrome Refractor parallel sets were highly sought after by collectors at the time due to the attractive refractive technology used to create colorful, eye-catching versions of the base cards. Gordon’s 2008 Topps Chrome Refractor is card #99 and considered one of the nicer looking cards from his early career years by collectors.
Gordon truly broke out in 2010 by being named an All-Star and finishing fourth in AL MVP voting. This breakout season earned him some of his most significant card issues to date. In 2010 Topps Series 2, he received an autographed card parallel numbered to only 50 copies worldwide. This ultra-short printed autographed parallel made Gordon cards one of the hottest commodities that year. He was also featured in high-end sets like 2010 Topps Tribute, 2010 Topps Finest, and 2010 Topps Chrome RED parallel to commemorate his All-Star caliber campaign.
After struggling with injuries in 2011 and 2012, Gordon rebounded to have another All-Star season in 2013 where he batted .266 with 13 home runs and 67 RBI. This led to prominent inclusion in 2013 Topps Series 2 where he had another autographed parallel, this time limited to only 25 copies. Gordon parallels and autographs from this period remained some of his most in-demand cards. Upper Deck also celebrated his continued success with a base card in their high-end 2013 Upper Deck SP Authentic baseball card set.
Gordon truly etched his name into Royals lore in 2014 and 2015, playing a huge role in Kansas City’s back-to-back World Series championship seasons. In 2014, he had one of the most memorable playoff performances of any position player by blasting four home runs in the AL Wild Card Game versus the A’s. This cemented his status as a postseason hero and fan favorite in Kansas City. Gordon’s performance was recognized in luxurious card releases like 2014 Topps Finest Sapphire parallel cards limited to only five copies each.
2015 was even bigger for Gordon and the Royals as they defeated the New York Mets in the Fall Classic. Topps commemorated Gordon’s championship season with gold parallel cards limited to only five copies from their elite 2015 Topps Finest Football set. Upper Deck also paid tribute to the Royals’ title with Gordon inclusion in their 2015 Ultimate Collection championship set. Between his 2014 and 2015 playoff heroics, Gordon cards reached new heights in demand and value among Royals collectors.
While injuries limited his playing time in later seasons, Gordon remained a revered figure for Kansas City fans. He received send-off tributes like inclusion in 2020 Topps Archives Flashback cards honoring past Royals stars. After retiring following the 2020 season, 2021 Topps Heritage included a retro-style card paying homage to Gordon’s career. He continues to be featured in special release sets from Topps, Panini, and others focusing on Royals history.
In total, Gordon has appeared in hundreds of different baseball card issues over his 13-year MLB career as one of the faces of the Royals franchise. From early base rookies to autographed parallels to championship commemoratives, Gordon’s cards serve as a visual timeline chronicling the highlights of his playing days. While he may no longer be active, collectors can look back fondly on the many memorable Alex Gordon baseball cards released through the years that capture why he remains so beloved in Kansas City.
