Sophomore Slump?: Bobby Witt Jr.
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Bobby Witt Jr. was the 2nd overall pick by the Kansas City Royals in the 2019 MLB draft. As he’s developed as a ballplayer, he’s known for his power to all fields and incredible speed. He would make his debut on Opening Day of 2022 in which he hit the go-ahead RBI double for his first major league hit.
As a whole, his 2022 season was fairly productive for the rookie. He slashed .254/.294/.428 with 20 Homeruns, 80 RBI, and 30 stolen bases. He would finish 4th in the Rookie of the Year voting. The MLB world got a taste of what Bobby Witt was capable of, and all the excitement was on the ‘23 year as fans couldn’t wait to see Witt shine even more, but Witt hasn’t quite found his groove so far.
In 2023, Witt’s slashline is as follows: .244/.288/.415 with 12 Homeruns and 39 RBI. He has utilized his speed (100th percentile in sprint speed) in tandem with the new pickoff limit and has snagged 23 stolen bases. According to Fangraphs metric BsR (Baserunning Runs), he is 11th in the majors. This metric measures the amount of runs above or below average a player adds from his baserunning plays.
A positive note for Witt is that his batted ball data has been great. He’s in the 90th percentile in xBA, 89th percentile in xSLG, and the 83rd percentile in xwOBA. Witt has had some bad luck with balls in play but it’s very possible that his production will rise as the season goes on.
