Witt Jr. smacks grand slam, drives in 5

Bobby Witt Jr. is a lot of things, but on Saturday, he was something he hadn't yet been: Grand.

MLB's No. 5 overall prospect launched his first career grand slam, a no-doubter over the tall right-center fence of Huntington Park, and that one swing accounted for four of the five runs he drove in during Triple-A Omaha's 13-10 win over Columbus. Not only was it Witt Jr.'s third home run in four games, but he tied his career-high in RBIs, which he set back in June for Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

"I'm just trying to stay being Bobby Witt Jr. Not trying to do too much, do too little, not trying to press just because it's the next step," Witt Jr. said. "That's what helps me stay on the even keel -- just trying to be me and be simple. This game's already hard enough; if you press, it makes it even harder. I'm just trying to go out there and have fun and be me."

Witt Jr.'s grand slam was actually one of the more mundane parts of the second inning. It started out casual enough -- a leadoff single, followed by a flyout and a strikeout. After a two-out single put runners on the corners, Anderson Miller and Kyle Isbel pulled off the double-steal of second base and home plate to tie the game at one apiece. Nine pitches later, Columbus starter Scott Moss issued back-to-back walks before exiting the game with an elbow injury.

When it was Witt Jr.'s turn at bat, he was on the cusp of drawing a bases-loaded walk after he immediately went up in the count 3-0. He took a pitch and fouled off the next one, suddenly in jeopardy of not cashing in any runs.

With the bases loaded and a 3-2 count, he took a middle-middle fastball and promptly deposited it over the fence.

"I got the pitch I was looking for and I was able to drive it," Witt Jr said. "I'm just having fun at this point. I'm really feeling comfortable and trying to make things as simple as possible going up there each and every day at the plate. I'm just trying to be myself up there."

Witt Jr. added an RBI double in the sixth, and to cap off his performance, he showed off his defensive chops in a wild final inning, making a slick sliding grab with the tying run at the plate for the final out of the game. He finished 2-for-6 at the dish, his second multihit effort in his last four games and his 26th on the season.

"Anytime you can help the team win in whatever way it is, it's always the best feeling afterwards," Witt Jr. said.

Triple-A hasn't seemed to faze the Royals' top prospect in the slightest. Since getting the call on July 20, he's batting .295 with a .981 OPS, seven homers, 15 RBIs and three stolen bases in 17 games. In a 10-game span, he's driven in 11, walked seven times and hit four dingers.

"I just go out there every day knowing that I'm going to try to leave it all on the field and try my best to help the team win," Witt Jr. said. "I know there'll be some bad days, but I just have to continue to try and be the same guy each and every day ... try and go out there and play 110% with high energy."