"I saw Mike Trout do it with Angels" - Alex Gordon recalls 19-year-old Bobby Witt Jr. emulating 3x AL MVP during Spring Training
Bobby Witt Jr. further established himself as one of the best players in the game this year after finishing as the runner-up for the 2024 American League MVP. Former All-Star and Kansas City Royals icon Alex Gordon discussed Witt's talent this week and said he realized the shortstop was a special talent during a spring training session a few years ago.
Witt showed blazing speed on a sprint down to first base, which in Gordon's eyes was only comparable to Los Angeles Angels superstar and three-time AL MVP Mike Trout.
Alex Gordon went into detail on the "Diggin' Deep Podcast," co-hosted by his former Royals teammates Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas:
"I knew this kid was good; got drafted first round or whatever, and then we hit COVID. So we're all just stranded, and spring training starts back up, but we can't go to Arizona. Everyone comes to Kauffman Stadium to do a mini spring training. Bobby Witt Jr. is, like, half a year, maybe not even that, and he's involved in all this.
"I'm in left field, and I see this kid hit the ball, and I've never seen a guy run from home to first [that fast]," he continued. "I saw Mike Trout do it with the Angels, and it was just a blur going down to first base. And then I saw Bobby Witt, and I was like, 'That's the same kind of guy.'
"I saw all the talent, and this kid is the best player at 19, with all these people here in Kauffman Stadium." (21:33)
Largely thanks to the heroics of Bobby Witt Jr., the Kansas City Royals clinched a postseason berth in 2024 after losing more than 100 games in the previous campaign. They shocked the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card before bowing out to the New York Yankees in the Division Series.
Alex Gordon knew Bobby Witt Jr. was "going to be special"
Bobby Witt Jr. was the second overall pick of the 2019 MLB draft and made his major league debut for the Kansas City Royals in 2022. He had signed an 11-year, $288.7 million extension at the start of the season, the highest contract ever offered to a player in the history of the franchise.
"I knew this kid was going to be something special," Alex Gordon said on the Diggin' Deep podcast. "Then I got to meet him and realize what kind of a person he was. Humble, hardworking, treats everybody great. So, I knew this kid was going to be special. The past three years, to watch this kid do what he's done, it's unbelievable."
Bobby Witt Jr. batted .332/.38/.588 during the regular season this year with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases to his name.