Bobby Witt Jr. is off to solid start, but viral stat about him shows KC’s struggles
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bobby Witt Jr. leads the league in stolen bases and bats second for Kansas City Royals.
- Royals rank last in American League with a .202 average with runners in scoring position.
- Kansas City’s No. 3 and No. 4 hitters post MLB-low OPS marks of .447 and .507.
The White Sox had taken a 6-5 lead in the top of the seventh inning Sunday at Kauffman Stadium when Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. opened the bottom half with a walk.
First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino followed by hitting a flyball to center field that was easily handled by Luisangel Acuña. White Sox pitcher Jordan Leasure balked while Salvador Perez was batting. Perez then flied out to Acuña.
Rookie catcher Carter Jensen followed and also hit a can of corn to Acuña.
“I missed an opportunity. I left Bobby’s stranded on second,” Jensen said after the game. “Kind of got jammed on a fastball. Especially with my mindset and how I approach at-bats, I shouldn’t be missing fastballs like that. So, you know, I’m frustrated with myself, kind of hard on myself about that.”
Jensen is hardly alone. The Royals are last in the American League with a .202 average with runners in scoring position and they have scored the third-fewest runs in baseball (54).
As Jensen’s fly to center was heading to Acuña’s glove, Witt took off from second on contact and rounded third, but once again he didn’t score. In the ninth inning, Witt drew a one-out walk but was left stranded to end the game.
In his first four seasons, Witt has averaged 101 runs scored. But this year, he’s on pace to score a mind-boggling 10 times.
That statistic went viral Monday after X user Dan Clark shared it. More than 1 million people had viewed it:
“Bobby Witt Jr. has reached base 30 times this season,” Clark wrote on X, listing Witt with 16 hits, 10 walks, 2 intentional walks and 2 instances of a fielder’s choice, “and been left stranded 29 times (97%).”
One note about that stat: Witt has only walked 10 times, as intentional walks are included in a player’s total walks. Still, he’s reached base 28 times this season and scored just once. That percentage is still paltry as Witt has been left stranded 96.4% of the time.
“Bobby Witt Jr. has reached base 28 times. He leads the league in stolen bases,” added X user Chance Liebau. “Bobby Witt Jr. has touched home ONCE all season.”
That’s not entirely on Witt’s teammates. He has averaged 26 home runs a year but has yet to hit one this season.
But Witt, who bats second and leads the league in stolen bases, has not been helped by those below him in the lineup. The Royals’ No. 3 batters are dead last in Major League Baseball in OPS (.447), while their No. 4 hitters (.507) are 29th. Their No. 5 hitters are 22nd (.715).
The Royals’ No. 2 hitters (usually Witt) are fourth in MLB in on-base percentage (.366) and their leadoff batter (usually Maikel Garcia) is fifth with a .389 OBP. Garcia has scored 10 runs this season.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Bobby Witt Jr. is off to solid start, but viral stat about him shows KC’s struggles."
