Gordon, Ka'Aihue Named PCL All-Stars

July 1, 2010 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release

OMAHA, NE - Outfielder Alex Gordon and first baseman Kila Ka'aihue will represent the Omaha Royals on the Pacific Coast League's All-Star team, which will take on the International League in the 23rd annual Triple-A All-Star Game, to be held at Lehigh Valley's Coca-Cola Park on Wednesday, July 14.

The PCL's All-Star squad, announced today, includes Gordon as one of 13 players elected in voting by the league's managers, general managers and media members covering each club, as well as online voting by fans. Ka'aihue was among 17 other players selected by the league office to fill out the elite team.

Gordon and Ka'aihue are among the PCL's leaders in several offensive categories. Gordon is batting .333 with eleven home runs and 36 RBI in 52 games with Omaha, while making the conversion from third base to the outfield. His .333 average is tied for second in the league, while he also ranks second in on-base percentage (.454) and is third in slugging percentage (.588). Ka'aihue is hitting .307 with 14 homers and 50 RBI in 63 contests. His 14 round-trippers are tied for fifth in the circuit (his .572 slugging percentage also ranks fifth), while he leads the PCL in on-base percentage (.472) and walks (69).

Both have seen time in the big leagues this season with Kansas City. Gordon missed most of Spring Training due to a broken right thumb and didn't see his first action in a regular season game until April 17. He batted .194 with one home run and one RBI in 12 games with KC before being optioned to Omaha on May 2. Ka'aihue was recalled by Kansas City on May 5, but played in just two games - going 1-for-4 with one RBI - before being optioned back to Omaha on May 17.

Gordon earned PCL Batter of the Week honors for the week of May 10-16, when he hit .500 (11-for-22) with three home runs and 10 RBI in six games at Reno and Las Vegas.

Both Gordon and Ka'aihue have ties to Nebraska prior to playing for the Omaha Royals. Gordon, 26, is a native of Lincoln who starred at Lincoln Southeast High School before going on to become just the second two-time, 1st-team All-American at the University of Nebraska. Following his junior season in 2005 when he led the Huskers to the College World Series and swept the collegiate baseball post-season awards, Gordon was selected by KC with the second overall pick in the draft.

Ka'aihue, 26, was recruited by Nebraska in 2002 out of Iolani High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, he decided to sign with the Royals after being chosen by Kansas City in the 15th round of the 2002 draft. Ka'aihue first made it to Triple-A Omaha in 2008, when he won the George Brett Award as the top hitter in Kansas City's organization. He spent all of the 2009 campaign with Omaha and was ranked by Baseball America as KC's 15th-best prospect entering this season.

Also selected to the PCL All-Star squad was Las Vegas outfielder Chris Lubanski, who played with Omaha from 2007-2009.

The Triple-A All-Star game will be televised live on MLB Network Wednesday, July 14 at 6:00 p.m. CDT. The game will also be heard on Omaha's KOIL AM-1180 and at www.oroyals.com .

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