Bobby Witt Jr. discusses his future, 2019 draft class, and long-term with the Royals: “Trying to be ready to win a ball game every night” (Exclusive)
Perhaps it’s because he plays in small-market Kansas City or maybe because he, himself, is understated. There’s no bravado, no trash-talking, no extra flair to Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Or maybe it’s because he’s only 23 and not quite five years removed from high school.
Regardless, Witt is not immediately mentioned as one of the best players in baseball even after a tremendous 2023, when he hit 30 homers and stole 49 bases – falling one stolen base shy of the vaunted 30-50 club, which only has three members in the game’s history.
It’s not as if Witt is an unknown, however. Eyes have been on him for more than a decade as a baseball prodigy and son of Bobby Witt, a former big-league pitcher for 16 seasons, mostly with the Texas Rangers.
Bobby Witt Jr. was Gatorade’s National Male Athlete of the Year in 2019 and was selected second overall in that year’s amateur draft. He blew through the minors, debuted in the majors in 2022 at 21, and placed seventh in the American League MVP voting in 2023 despite being part of a 106-loss Royals team. That performance and talent led him to sign a franchise record, 11-year, $288.7 million contract extension with Kansas City this offseason.
Witt has started white hot this year, posting a .350/.409/.675 slash line in his first 10 games, and is considered a legitimate MVP candidate on a Royals team that has higher expectations this season.
Here’s an exclusive Q&A with Witt Jr., which centers on his upside, why he wants to stay in Kansas City long-term, and the amazing draft class of 2019.
This is your third big-league season. How does this one compare to the previous two and how have you changed as a player?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I would say not too much different as a player. It’s just more of the mindset of preparing, trying to be prepared the best I possibly can be each and every night. Trying to be ready to win a ballgame every night and just making sure my body is in the right position. Knowing what I need to do before the game to get ready for whatever time the game is that night.
What about your comfortability factor now that you are playing every day in the majors?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I have been comfortable for a while now. And so, the more you play this game, the more comfortable you get.
Last year, you fell one stolen base short of a 30-homer, 50-stolen base season. That milestone has been reached just three times in baseball history: Barry Bonds, Eric Davis and Ronald Acuña Jr., last season. Did you get to the offseason and think, ‘Dang, just one more bag?”
Bobby Witt Jr.:
Yeah. But you’ve just gotta kind of flip the script. You’ve got to get into 2024, and here we are today. You can’t really think about it too much. You just know you’ve got to get better as a whole. Speed, power, mentally, physically, everything. Going into the offseason, you see what happened last year and you learn from the things that you didn’t think went well and you build off the things that went well.
Now that you’ve gotten so close to 30-50, is that a goal?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I wouldn’t say it’s a goal. But obviously you’d like to do it. But you really control what you can control. And you can’t really control the statistical stuff. You have to go out there and play to the best of your ability, and if that happens, it just kind of happens.
I was talking to someone in the game recently about you and 30 homers and 50 stolen bases, and the guy said to me, “Witt has a chance to go 50 (homers) and 30 (stolen bases) when he’s at his peak.” That’s never been done before. Is 50-30 possible?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I think the sky is the limit for really anyone if you prepare correctly. Like I said, you can’t really set too many goals, because once you achieve those goals, you get kind of lost. You can control your preparation. You can control what pitches you swing at. And then you see whatever else happens after that.
When I talked to you as an amateur, you told me you expected to stay at shortstop in the big leagues. Here you are playing short every day now after some time at third base. What have you focused on to make that a reality?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I try to make it as simple as possible. I try to make my offseason training harder than it is during the season. I try to make my work I do before the game and in spring training harder than it is in the game, so when I’m out there during game time, I can make it as easy as possible. But you know how hard this game is, so it’s just trying to figure out those ways. Make the routine plays; make the other plays and just help the team win.
How much extra defensive work did it take to transition to third base (50 starts there as a rookie in 2022) and then to come back as the everyday shortstop last year?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I’ve always put in the work, so it’s not really extra work, just the work I always do. It’s really about going into the offseason knowing what I need to work on, what things I need to get better at. I think it’s just about improving every part of my game every year. If you look at all the All-Stars, they are always getting better. That’s how I try to do it every single day.
This seems to be a special time for quality shortstop talent: Yourself, Corey Seager, Gunnar Henderson, Bo Bichette, Anthony Volpe, Trea Turner, now Mookie Betts, among others. Do you view it that way?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I think any time you get to be a shortstop in the major leagues it’s special. It’s a blessing, really. Just to be one of 30 in the whole world is pretty special. Definitely trying to be able to make the most of it.
Do you watch those shortstops to see what and how they’re doing?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
Yeah. I feel like I’ve watched baseball, 24-7, for the most part of my life. I’m always trying to learn the game. I feel like if you watch and learn, you learn something new every day. Because there’s something that happens every day that you never would think would happen. It’s about watching the game, understanding the game and learning from it.
Is there anyone in MLB that you specifically like to study?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I think there are guys for every team that you like to watch throughout an entire game. Like Mike Trout and what he does. I watch what Corey Seager does. You watch what these guys do day in and day out. I played for Team USA (in the World Baseball Classic) last year and was able to be around those guys and keep watching them and see how they’re doing it.
Let’s talk about Acuña for a moment. If he hadn’t put up the numbers he did – 41 homers, 73 stolen bases – we probably would have focused more on your combination of 30 and 49. What’s your take on Acuña, his ability and his NL MVP season last year?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
It’s spectacular what he’s doing. Just the confidence he has and how great he plays the game. He’s playing the kid’s game out there. So, it’s really fun to see how much fun he’s having, how much he’s enjoying it.
Do you feel like you are playing a kid’s game, too?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
Definitely. You’ve got to go out there and have fun. You’ve got to have that eagerness to get to the field. You’ve got to have that eagerness to go out and play. I feel like once that’s gone, that’s when time is up. So, I just show up to the yard every day with a smile on my face. It’s a blessing to have this opportunity and try to make the most of it.
Five years ago, you were still in high school waiting to be drafted. Is that hard for you to comprehend?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
Yeah. It’s pretty crazy. People say, ‘It’s only been five years.’ And then other people will say to me, ‘Wow, it’s already been five years.’
Your 2019 draft class has been spectacular so far. You were drafted second overall, one slot behind Adley Rutschman, and one ahead of Andrew Vaughn. That first round included Corbin Carroll, C.J. Abrams, George Kirby and others. Does that mean something to you to be part of that group?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
Definitely. That group that we had and just coming up with those guys. You look at the high school draft class. You had myself, Corbin Carroll, C.J. Abrams, Anthony Volpe, Riley Greene, the list goes on and on. Those guys, we all played with each other on the USA-18U team (in 2018). Just being able to play against those guys now, and see those guys, and check in on how they’re doing, it’s pretty special.
With that draft, there didn’t seem to be a wrong No. 1 pick, whether it was the polished college catcher in Rutschman or the high-upside, high-school shortstop in you. Do you think you will always be connected to him, given that you went 1 and 2 and both have started out so well?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
Yeah, I do. It’s definitely special to see what he has done and what he has been doing in this game. It’s pretty cool that I was able to go back-to-back with him.
Let’s get to the contract extension: 11 years and $288.7 million guaranteed. The longest and richest in Royals’ history. It could take you through 2037 if the team picks up a late option. Why commit so much of your future to one team, especially a Royals club that hasn’t had a winning record since winning the World Series in 2015?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
It feels like home. I was seeing the offseason moves we made and just how close we are. We’re in these games and we have special talent here and I think definitely we’re going to prove a lot of people right this year. If you look at this team, the veterans we have and the young core group we have now that’s establishing itself, it’s great. And the structure of the contract and everything is great. So, I’m blessed to be here and call Kansas City my home. This is who I came up with, this is who I want to win with. So, I feel like, hopefully, I can stay here, build and keep going. Each and every year we can get better as a team, starting with this year. So, I think this is going to be a lot of fun.
If you don’t opt out, and they trigger the three-year option, you conceivably have agreed to being a Royal for your entire career. That doesn’t happen much in this sport. How important is that to you?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
It’d be incredible. You look at No. 13, Salvador Perez, and what he has done for this city and then you look across the street (at the NFL Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium) and see what Patrick Mahomes is doing. It’s one of those things that motivates you to try and bring winning baseball back to Kansas City.
Mike Trout recently pointed toward you and your contract as a positive for the game: Small-market clubs locking up their homegrown talent. He said he hopes those types of deals are sending a message to players and teams. Do you think a message is being sent?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I would hope so. It shows where you want to be, where you want to play and that you want to play this game for a long time. They say we’re a small-market team, but they’re able to spend money for certain guys. And it just shows other teams and other players that it can happen. I think it’s really cool to be able to do that and spend time with just one team for now. And go from there. But, yeah, you want to win with the team you came up with. You know everyone and it’s a family, so that’s where you want to be.
There are a lot of storied players in Royals’ history. Did any of them reach out to you once you signed the extension?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
I got a call really quick from (Hall of Famer) George Brett. Immediately. And I talked to Bo Jackson in spring training. And Reggie Sanders, Mike Sweeney, all those guys. The support from guys who have played here, and from (the mid-2010s teams) like Eric Hosmer, James Shields, Greg Holland, Wade Davis. It just shows you how tight a group, when you’re playing with the Royals, it is.
When someone is trying to decide on a contract, they often seek their parents for advice. Your dad, longtime MLB pitcher Bobby, is part of the agency that represents you. Did you ask for advice from him about staying in one place?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
It was ultimately my decision. It’s one of those things that my agency did a great job with it and the Royals front office, ownership and everyone did a great job with it. We came together and it worked out.
You’ve stated before how competitive you are with your father. Is that still the case?
Bobby Witt Jr.:
Always. We try to do golfing, but I’ve got him beat in that. I’ve got him right now in pretty much everything we compete in; except he’s got 16 years in the big leagues. So, I’ve got to keep chasing that, for sure.