Bobby Witt Jr.’s Historic Year

(New York Post) (Jon Helmkamp)

Bobby Witt Jr., the former number two pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, has had a historic 2023 season. The 23-year-old shortstop has flown under the radar this year, likely due to the Royals 55-106 record. Witt has shown he has all the tools to be the future of the Royals organization as they try to get back to being World Series contenders as they were back in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. 

On September 29th, the Royals star became the first player in MLB history to produce 30 homers, 45 stolen bases, and 10 triples in the same season. While Witt became the first player in MLB history to achieve such a task, the Royals shortstop also joined another very exclusive list, joining the 30-30 club: 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Throughout MLB history, only 44 members of the 30-30 seasons have existed until Witt became the 45th, as well as becoming the first player in Royals history to achieve the task.

 The most impressive part about Witt's 2023 campaign is that Witt is only in his second big league season. Witt had a solid rookie campaign, being voted 4th in AL Rookie of the Year, having a .254 batting average, .294 on-base percentage, and a .428 slugging percentage, but has taken a massive leap in his second year. In his second season, Witt had a batting average of .275, an on-base percentage of .317, and a .493 slugging percentage. 

(Ralph Freso) (Getty Images)

The Royals hope this is just the start for the young star, as he has accumulated 50 home runs, 16 triples, and 79 stolen bases in his first two years in the big leagues. As the Royals have struggled over the past few seasons, they may have a bright future ahead as Witt looks like he is becoming the face of the franchise.