The Royals’ top prospect is making a loud case in Wichita.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been rolling through Double-A pitching with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and this week at Riverfront Stadium he kept right on hitting against the Wichita Wind Surge. In his first two games of the six-game series, Witt reached base in seven of his 11 plate appearances, another strong showing for a 21-year-old who already looks ready for the next rung.
The numbers behind the surge are hard to ignore. Since June 1, Witt has hit .350 with a .418 on-base percentage and a .626 slugging percentage in 31 games.
In Double-A Central, he is tied for third in home runs with 13 and sits second in RBIs with 40. MLB.com ranks him as the No. 7 prospect in minor league baseball, and the performance in Wichita only adds to the buzz around a player who seems to be moving quickly.
Still, Witt made it clear this week that his focus stays on the work, not the destination.
“I still think I can improve on all aspects of my game and that’s what I’m going to keep doing,” Witt Jr. told Wichita media this week. “It’s a long season, so I want to steadily get better and better each and every day and just keep working.
That’s what I’m going to continually do. This year I’ve learned to just be myself, not try to do too much and just keep things simple.”
Witt and teammate Nick Pratto, another highly regarded Royals prospect and the club’s first-round pick in the 2017 draft, are set to head to Denver after Friday’s 7:05 p.m. game in Wichita. The two will take part in the Futures Game at Coors Field on Sunday during MLB All-Star weekend.
For Witt, the jump in confidence has come with experience. He said last year’s alternate site helped shape the strong second professional season he’s putting together after being selected No. 2 overall out of high school in the 2019 draft.
“It’s always a privilege to be around the big league guys,” Witt Jr. said. “I learned a lot.
Just getting into a good routine and learn from those guys. It was awesome to be around them.
I took that into spring training and then into here and that’s what I’m going to keep doing, just keep going.”
He’s also already found some comfort with a player who could end up beside him on the big league infield. Witt said Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield has taken him under his wing.
“Whit took me under his wing and was really there for me if I had any questions,” Witt Jr. said. “He’s always texting me, asking me how I’m doing and things like that. It’s really cool to have that comfort and hopefully one day we’ll play with each other.”
A promotion to Triple-A may be close, but Witt said that’s not something he can control. His attention, for now, is on the Naturals, who are 30-25 and tied with the Wind Surge for first place in Double-A Central.
“I’m just going to worry about our team here,” Wit Jr. said of the Naturals, who are 30-25 and tied for first place in Double-A Central with the Wind Surge. “We’re trying to win each and every game out here and I’m trying to be the best teammate I can be.
I just have to keep doing me. I’m not really focused on (outside distractions).
I just want to be the best Bobby Witt Jr. I can possibly be and keep going each and every day with an open mindset and keep learning and growing as a player and having fun.”
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