Bobby Witt Jr. was born in Colleyville, Texas, on June 14, 2000. He played high school baseball at Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville. He was the top-ranked shortstop and player in the country in 2019. In 2018-19, his senior season, he played in 42 games. He hit .482 with a 1.609 OPS. Witt Jr. had 14 doubles, nine triples, 15 home runs, 55 RBI, 66 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases. He also pitched, making 12 appearances, going 0-1 with five saves, a 1.85 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 11.1 innings. He committed to play baseball at Oklahoma.
Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster
Bobby Witt Jr. Draft
Witt Jr. was projected as the second overall prospect entering the 2019 draft. He would go second overall to the Kansas City Royals. Witt Jr. also signed, foregoing Oklahoma and playing in college.
Bobby Witt Jr.’s Royals Tenure
2019
Following being drafted he played in 37 games for the Royals rookie ball team. He hit .262 with a .670 OPS. Witt Jr. had two doubles, five triples, a home run, 27 RBI, and 30 runs scored.
2020
The minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Witt Jr. was ranked as the 24th overall prospect by Baseball America and tenth by MLB Pipeline.
2021
Witt Jr. ranked as the 16th overall prospect by Baseball America and seventh by MLB Pipeline. He played at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. In 61 games at Double-A, he hit .295 with a .939 OPS. Witt Jr. had 11 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, 51 RBI, and 44 runs scored. In 63 games at Triple-A, he hit .285 with a .933 OPS. He had 24 doubles, 17 home runs, 46 RBI, and 55 runs scored. Witt Jr. also played for the American League team at the Futures Game, going 0-2.
Get Your Inside The Diamonds Merchandise Here
2022
Witt Jr. entered his first big league season ranked as the third-overall prospect by Baseball America and first by MLB Pipeline. He would play in 150 games for the Royals, hitting .254 with a .722 OPS. He had 31 doubles, six triples, 20 home runs, 80 RBI, and 82 runs scored. Witt Jr. finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting.
2023
Witt Jr. played in 158 games with the Royals in 2023. He hit .276 with a .813 OPS. Witt Jr. had 28 doubles, 11 triples, 30 home runs, 96 RBI, and 97 runs scored. He finished seventh in MVP voting.
2024
Witt Jr. in 2024 had career highs in games played, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and runs scored. He hit .389 with a .977 OPS. Witt Jr. finished with 211 hits, 45 doubles, 11 triples, 32 home runs, 109 RBI, and 125 runs scored. He finished second in MVP voting as well as a first-time All-Star and took home a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger.
One thought on “Player Profile: Bobby Witt Jr.”