Top prospect Bo womens atlanta braves jersey small bby Witt Jr. ready for starring role with Royals

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SURPRISE, Ariz. — Bobby Witt Jr., MLB.com’s top prospect, has reportedly made the Royals’ Opening Day roster, and it shouldn’t be long before the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 Draft becomes Kansas City’s newest star at Kauffman Stadium, as the starter at third base.

But it won’t be the first time Witt stars at the Royals’ home ballpark. During the pandemic-altered 2020 season, Kansas City’s alternate site was Kauffman Stadium. The prospects and other minor leaguers working on their games weren’t playing in front of fans, but they weren’t alone in the ballpark. The club’s television broadcast crew stayed home that season, camped out in their booth at Kauffman calling the gamDooney & Bourke es off monitors. 

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And that’s where Rex Hudler, the longtime Royals television color commentator, got an extended look at Witt. Even when he wasn’t supposed to be watching. 

“It drove my producer crazy,” Hudler told me at the Royals’ spring complex last week. “He’s like, ‘Hud, I need you! Stay with me!’ I couldn’t help it, because there’s Bobby Witt Jr. down there playing shortstop. This one day a guy hit a ball into left field, and he turns and runs all the way under it in left and catches it over his head and I went, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’”

Hudler, who played 13 seasons in the majors, has seen plenty of young stars early in their careers during his time in the sport.

“The speed, the baseball IQ, the love of the game and his tools? You put all that together, that’s a young Robin Yount down there. He won a Gold Glove at short and in center, and this kid cou atlanta braves jersey harris ld, too,” Hudler said. “I mean, it’s awfully early, and that’s big praise because that’s a big, big name there. But that’s the ceiling for him, in my opinion. It’s exciting to watch.”

I went down to Surprise, where the Royals split a spring facility with the Rangers, to meet Witt for myself. I asked him what the biggest difference was this year, as opposed to last year’s spring experience.  

“Well, we don’t have to wear masks, so that’s been something that’s cool,” he said with a laugh. “But really, it’s just the feeling that there’s a chance to maybe be part of the team, so I’ve been taking it day by day and trying to get better each and every day and trying to learn from the guys. It’s been a lot of fun. There’s a lot of energy and buzz in the air.”

I asked his teammates and others around camp about the biggest difference they see in Witt, and almost everyone mentioned the extra muscle he’s added. The baseball has always jumped off Witt’s bat, but now it’s traveling farther than ever, and that’s saying something. Splitting his time between Double-A Northwest Arkansas (61 games) and Triple-A Omaha (63) last season, Witt finished with 33 homers, 35 doubles, 97 RBIs, 29 MLB Player Tee Shirts stolen bases and a .936 OPS, in his Age 21 season.

“I feel like you’re never going to get to that spot you’re trying to be in,” Witt said. “You look at Mike Trout and he’s improving every year, and that’s kinda how I want to just get everything as a whole better. That’s how I went into the offseason, not looking at one specific thing, but also try to simplify things as much as possible, knowing myself and what I need to do. And get stronger in the weight room, obviously. That’s about it.” 

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In atlanta braves signed framed jersey 32 at-bats this spring, Witt has a .406/.441/.781 slash line, with three homers, three doubles, two stolen bases, 11 runs scored, two walks and just three strikeouts. 

“I just really try to keep things as simple as possible, pretty much just ‘see ball, hit ball’ and just find a pitch in my zone and try to drive it, put the barrel on the ball,” Witt said. “Try to put together good at-bats and not chase pitches, have fun when I’m up there, too. Just compete.” 

Third base might not be his long-term position, but it’s where he’ll be this season, with Adalberto Mondesi at shortstop and Nicky Lopez at second. That’s the setup if everyone’s healthy; Mondesi is wildly talented Gerrit Cole Yankees Jerseys but has had trouble with that part.MLB T-Shirts  

“He’s a good player, man,” said Lopez, who hit .300 last year playing mostly shortstop with Mondesi on the IL. “He’s really fun to watch. And he’s an even better kid, too. It’s easy to root for someone like him. I was telling one of our coaches how we’re all pulling for him because he’s a good person. It’s one thinMLB Jacketsg if you’re a good player but not a good person, y’know?”

As the son of Bobby Witt, the right-handed pitcher who competed for 16 seasons in the majors, the younger Witt knew how a clubhouse worked long before he was wearing a number himself. That’s part of the equation. 

“The talent’s pretty obvious when you watch him go about his business,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “The tools, the tools are there. Everybody knew that, so it’s how does he fit in? We’ve watched him for a couple years, and he fits. He knows how to go about his business.

“He took advantage of the privilege of growing up around this atmosphere and came in with … the best way to describe it is a humble confidence. He goes about his business knowing and having faith in himself, but also having respect for guys who have been at this level. You have the opportunity to earn the respect of the guys who have been around, and that’s something he’s done exceptionally well.”

Lopez, Matheny and Hudler have had the chance to watch Witt for a couple years now. He’s made a good impression on newcomers Amir Garrett, too. The Royals traded for Garrett shortly after the lockout ended. 

“He’s the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball for a reason,” Garrett said. “From what I’ve seen from him, he’s very athletic, very poised at the plate, smooth in the field. I told him, ‘The last Rookie of the Year, I was really close with, so you might want to hang out with me for a bit.’”

Garrett laughed. He was teammates with Jonathan India in Cincinnati last season. India received 29 of the 30 first-place votes in the NL rookie voting after a season that included 21 homers, 12 stolen bases and a 3.9 bWAR. Garrett sees similarities. 

“It’s the confidence, like he belongs,” he said. “India had that as a rookie, and I see that a lot in Bobby Witt Jr., too. He’s a big kid.” 

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A lot was expected from India, but the pressure level wasn’t quite like the expectations heaped on Witt heading into 2022. 

“It’s hard. There are pressures that he will have to go through that most young players won’t have to go through,” Matheny said. “I think he’s probably as prepared for those and has been trained, atlanta braves jersey near me as well as he’s wired to handle them, just about as well as any young player. But they still will be potential distractions. That’s just part of the position he’s in right now. atlanta braves outfits It isn’t anything new. It happened to him as an amateur and it’s happened every step along the way. It’ll be a little more amplified now, but we have good people watching over him and preparing him. It’ll all come down to seeing if he’s ready for what potential distractions will be out there. So far he’s given us every indication that he’ll be able to handle it as well as anybody.”

Witt, as mentioned, is the No. 1 overall prospect in the sport in the MLB.com rankings. He’s No. 1 over at Baseball Prospectus, too, and No. 3 at Baseball America. So, yeah, there are expectations. 

“Everyone writes stuff, but until it’s done, it’s just on paper,” Witt told me with a grin. “So that’s just more motivation for me. Just continue trying to stay healthy through it all and just try to get better and quiet out that noise as much as possible.”

He’s done a great job of that so far.