Witt Jr. 'changing the game' and 'getting all the love he deserves'

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers' Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

KANSAS CITY -- Bobby Witt Jr. took a small step back from the microphone during his on-field postgame interview Friday night and looked around. A lively, energetic crowd at Kauffman Stadium was chanting “BOB-BY, BOB-BY” after the 23-year-old shortstop hit the game-tying triple in the Royals' incredible comeback win over the Mariners, and Witt’s emotion was palpable.

It stayed with him when he went into the clubhouse later. And it stayed with his teammates, too.

“He’s getting all the love he deserves,” starter Brady Singer said. “He’s changing the game, he’s changing this team, he’s changing the city. It’s incredible to get to watch him every night.”

“The longer I’m here, the more the fans are showing me that they’re the best,” Witt said. “You see them with what the Chiefs are doing and what has happened in the past with the Royals. Now, they’re coming out more to support us. It’s really special. I just love this city, and it’s why I wanted to be here for a long time.”

Witt has been emerging as one of baseball’s superstars long before his clutch Friday night at-bat. But that’s one defining moment we might look back on for a long time, from the situation -- down one run, the Royals looking to complete an improbable comeback -- to the at-bat itself. Down two strikes, Witt laced a pitch down the third-base line and went from home to third in 10.98 seconds, making a Superman-like headfirst slide into the bag with a roaring crowd around him.

“There was just this calm about him getting ready for that at-bat,” Royals hitting coach Alec Zumwalt said. “[Assistant hitting coach] Keoni [DeRenne] and I looked at each other with just like, a smile. We knew. There was an unspoken, ‘This is about to get done,’ mindset.

“When he slid in at third, the look that he gave back to the dugout, it was just different. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that.”

There was no better person to have at the plate at that moment. In the first year of his historic contract extension, Witt is playing not only like an All-Star but also like an American League MVP Award candidate. Entering Sunday, Witt’s .322 average and 19 stolen bases ranked second in the AL. His .937 OPS ranked fifth. His 47 RBIs ranked fourth.

Witt’s 10 Outs Above Average led all MLB shortstops, and his 13 defensive runs saved were tied for seventh in the AL.

On FanGraphs, his 4.2 WAR ranked second only to Aaron Judge, while Witt’s 4.0 WAR on Baseball-Reference ranked third in baseball behind Judge (4.7) and Gunnar Henderson (4.3).

Witt will also likely represent Kansas City on a national stage in the 2024 All-Star Game on July 16. Voting for Phase 1 runs through June 27.

Becoming an All-Star is on Witt’s list of career goals. But having his first come this season, when the host stadium is Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, would be “special,” Witt said.

Globe Life Field is about 20 minutes from Colleyville, Texas, where Witt grew up and started to dream about becoming a baseball player.

“It’s always been a dream, for sure,” Witt said. “But you can’t control it. All you can do is go out and play and not worry about it. I’m trying to enjoy every moment. But it’s definitely on the bucket list.”

The Royals have a few All-Star candidates, including catcher Salvador Perez and starter Seth Lugo. Perez is eyeing his ninth All-Star Game, and he said it would be “super fun” to have a Kansas City contingent there -- but more than anything, the Captain has just one request:

“Make sure people vote for Junior,” Perez said. “We need him there.”

Perez continued: “He deserves it, with the way he is, the way he plays hard. Everybody needs to vote for him. … I’d be super excited for Junior to make it, to start it. I would love to be there with him, but he deserves it.”