Witt Jr. and brother-in-law Zach Neal meet in the Majors

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SEATTLE -- For the Witt family, baseball is a family affair.

By now, you know that Bobby Witt Jr. is the son of former Major League pitcher Bobby Witt, who pitched for 16 seasons. But they aren’t the only two players in the family. Witt Sr. always advised his three daughters to stay away from baseball players, so of course they didn’t listen to their father.

All three married eventual big leaguers.

And Witt Jr., the youngest child in his family, got to share a big league field this week with one of them. Zach Neal, married to the second-oldest Witt daughter, Kianna, is a pitcher for the A’s and has had the Royals’ visit to Oakland circled on his calendar the day he signed with the A’s on April 7 as a Minor League free agent.

“When Junior got drafted, it was 2019, and I was in Japan,” Neal said. “It was kind of a personal goal to play long enough to play him. I knew it was only going to be a couple of years until he was in the big leagues. And I was like, ‘That’s something I want to do before I’m done.’”

Neal didn’t make an appearance against Kansas City; he pitched 3 1/3 innings on Sunday and is slated to start Friday’s game. So Neal and Witt talked in the outfield during batting practice on Tuesday and swapped jerseys Tuesday night.

“It’s crazy, looking in the dugout and seeing him there,” Witt said. “It’s special. It’s been awesome. I grew up with three older sisters but now I have three older brothers, too. Zach’s been in the family the longest. Seeing him from Oklahoma to the Draft to working all the way up has been great.”

Witt almost played with another brother-in-law at the Coliseum, too; Cody Thomas, married to Shaley, is an A's outfielder who was optioned on Aug. 14. The eldest Witt daughter, Nikki, married James Russell, who made his debut in 2010 for the Cubs -- and the Witt family was in attendance. Nine-year-old Bobby shagged balls in the outfield during batting practice.

The meetup between Neal and Witt might not have happened if the A’s hadn’t called Neal in the beginning of April looking for an arm to add to their system. Neal was actually at Kauffman Stadium on Opening Day -- in the stands, cheering on Witt, with his family. Neal was still a free agent after spending all of last season with the Rockies’ Triple-A team.

Drafted in the 17th round out of Oklahoma -- where he met his future wife -- by the Marlins in 2010, Neal made it to the big leagues in ‘16 with the A’s, where he pitched for four years. From 2019-21, he pitched for Seibu in Japan.

With no offers this season, the 34-year-old nearly retired for good.

“I was kind of at a loss for what to do,” Neal said. “I stayed ready, worked out when everyone was at Spring Training. I was going to retire on May 1. I was going to give it until then and move on. I was very much at peace with my career, and I’ve done things that probably not a lot of people thought a 17th-rounder would do. So I’m very content with what I’ve been able to do. I wasn’t mad or bitter or scared, I was happy, like, ‘Look what I’ve done.’

“And then the A’s called. My wife and I decided we’d give it another whirl. And I feel really good.”

Witt’s career has been different so far, as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 Draft and an emerging superstar and face of the Royals’ franchise in ‘23. But he looks up to all three of his brothers-in-law.

“[Neal’s] journey shows you how hard he’s worked,” Witt said. “He never really threw upper-90s but was always able to pitch. It shows you don’t have to have that kind of stuff if you’ve got the right mindset that he has. His work ethic shows you can do whatever you set your mind to.”

Neal added: “I always wanted to set a good example for him. He’s a good kid. He’s always been a little quiet. I don’t know if it’s because with three older sisters, it’s hard to get a word in. But he always gravitated toward us when we joined their family.”

Neal follows all of Witt’s games but finally saw in person the kind of player Witt is turning into this week. Neal advises Royals fans to get used to it. Witt blasted two homers in the series against the A’s and is now four home runs away from becoming the first 30-homer, 30-steal player in Royals history.

Since July 28, Witt has a 1.224 OPS.

“I don’t know if it’s a hot streak or if he’s just getting going,” Neal said. “I think this is pretty much going to be the standard. He’s a really gifted player, fun to watch. It’s cool.”