Listen to mic’d-up Kansas City Royals prospect Bobby Witt Jr. at MLB Futures Game
Royals top prospect Bobby Witt Jr.’s takeaway from Sunday’s MLB Futures Game in Denver: He needs to bulk up.
Witt, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft, joined Double-A teammate Nick Pratto at the annual showcase of the best minor-league players. Both Royals prospects were mic’d-up by the MLB Network.
Batting leadoff for the American League team, Witt scorched a pitch from left-hander Matthew Liberatore, who is in the Cardinals system, to open the game. The exit velocity was 112.8 mph. Unfortunately, the left fielder made the catch:
In the third inning, Witt faced Reds prospect left-hander Nick Lodolo and hammered a pitch to right field with an exit velocity of 103 mph. Alas, this also turned into an out for Witt when the ball was caught.
“I need to friggin’ hit the weight room,” Witt joked to the MLB-TV announcers. “I thought the ball was supposed to fly in Colorado.”
Witt finished 0-for-2, while Pratto was the American League’s first base runner in the game.
Pratto, who was the Royals’ first-round pick in the 2017 draft, drew a walk in the second inning against Marlins prospect Max Meyer.
In the fourth inning, Pratto came up with a runner on first, but grounded sharply to second base. That resulted in a fielder’s choice.
The National League team won 8-3 in the seven-inning game.
This story was originally published July 11, 2021 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Listen to mic’d-up Kansas City Royals prospect Bobby Witt Jr. at MLB Futures Game."
