Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals’ top prospect, has embraced first taste of big-league camp
Right before his first intrasquad scrimmage wearing a big-league jersey with his name on the back, Bobby Witt Jr. couldn’t help taking it all in and letting his mind wander slightly. He ran sprints in centerfield at Kauffman Stadium and imagined being in the same venue with the stadium packed in October before a crucial World Series game.
The Kansas City Royals’ top-rated minor-league prospect and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Witt reported to major-league spring training camp 2.0 as part of the 60-play pool in Kansas City at the start of this month.
Just a year ago, he spent the end of June/start of July last year making his transition from high school baseball in Texas to professional baseball in the Arizona League (Rookie level). Just four months ago the young shortstop had his sights set on preparing for his first full season of professional baseball and a likely assignment to Low-A Lexington.
Now, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Witt is in Kansas City taking part in an expanded big-league camp alongside Royals stars like Alex Gordon, Whit Merrifield and Adalberto Mondesi.
“It’s been like a whirlwind, coming into my first spring training,” Witt said. “I was super-pumped for that because I used to grow up going to spring training. This is my first one to actually get to participate in, but then the coronavirus happened.
“I was just at home working out, trying to stay ready. One day I got a call saying (attending spring training) might be a possibility, so just stay ready. I was taking a lot of live at-bats and just trying to stay as ready as possible as well as staying as safe as possible.”
Prospect to watch
Witt, who turned 20 in June, entered this year with 37 games under his belt at the lowest level of the minor leagues. In that initial taste of the professional ranks, he showed flashes of the tantalizing potential and also experienced the expected growing pains.
Witt posted a slash line of .262/.317/.354 with 35 strikeouts, 13 walks, one home run, two doubles, five triples, 27 RBIs and nine stolen bases. He made strides even in that two-month stretch. In August (17 games), his batting average improved to .280 and he collected 16 RBIs, three triples and his lone home run.
MLBPipeline.com ranks Witt the 10th-best prospect in baseball, while Baseball America ranks ranks him No. 26.
“My goal to come out here was just to learn, watch all the players and how the big leaguers go about their business and learn more of the game,” Witt said.
Witt pointed to examples such being on the field at shortstop with Merrifield a few feet away at second base giving him tips and advice during an intrasquad scrimmage or standing behind Mondesi during drills and watching everything he does while taking ground balls.
“All of the guys have been really good with me and teaching me how to be in the right place at the right time,” Witt said. “The biggest thing is just to try to calm down and not be so antsy because you’re on the big field now. Just slow things down and the game will just be the same game I’ve been playing my whole life.”
Following the Rookie League season last summer, Witt also spent time at the Royals facility for instructional league in the fall.
He said his primary focuses were simplifying his approach at the plate and “trying to put barrel on ball” as well as adding weight and building muscle to help him get through a 140-game minor-league season.
Holding his own
Royals general manager Dayton Moore discussed, the front office and major-league coaching staffs melded player development and shaping the major-league roster when they selected their 60-player spring training pool.
“We know he’s mentally ready to handle this type of environment, that’s the most important part of it,” Moore said of the decision to bring Witt to camp. “We can all recognize his tools and his skill level. It’s obviously at a very high level. It comes down to his mindset and the fact that he has grown up in the game. He has an understanding of the game and a confidence level that’s beyound his years. That’s put him in a position to come in here and do well.”
So far during camp, Witt hasn’t seemed noticeably overwhelmed. In fact, he has impressed both offensively and defensively.
Royals manager Mike Matheny has raved about the quality of some of his at-bats both in live batting practice sessions and during intrasquad scrimmages. Witt has made some dazzling instinctive defensive plays during intrasquad games, as well.
During Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, Witt made maybe the best defensive play of camp when he made a backhanded snag on a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop, spun and uncorked a one-hop throw that first baseman Nick Pratto made a great scoop on in time to get Jeison Guzman out by a fraction of a second.
Matheny described it as a “plus-plus defensive play on both ends.”
When asked for his assessment of how Witt has handled the atmosphere and situation thus far, Matheny deadpanned, “Yeah, he’s doing OK.”
Seconds later, Matheny broke into a smile and went on to praise both Witt and the Royals scouting department for identifying and recognizing a special combination of talent and makeup in players like Witt and some of the other young prospects.
“We’re just trying to watch and enjoy and realize that we’ve got some really talented players,” Matheny said, sounding slightly like a proud papa. “You could say the same thing about a Seuly Matias with some of the things he’s able to do. But when you have young players that are excited to be here, they can’t even contain (it). ...
“This kid (Witt) loves baseball. He loves being out here everyday. He’s a sponge, like a number of the other young guys as well. Obviously, there’s more of a spotlight on Bobby, one, because of where he was in the draft, and, two, because of how he has taken advantage of just this limited exposure he has had so far. He just keeps doing things to wow us.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals’ top prospect, has embraced first taste of big-league camp."
