(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
There is no question, at this point, that Bobby Witt Jr. has been the best player on the Kansas City Royals roster.
Not that the Royals have too much to offer (you don’t have a 31-75 record with mostly good players), but Witt’s 3.3 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is proof that he really belongs in the conversation of most talented young players in the league.
What he has done in the last two games, however, is not just “good”: it’s magnificent.
Between Friday and Saturday’s games, Witt has gone 8-for-10 with two homers, four runs, a double, a triple, and nine RBI.
He also stole a base.
You could say those numbers are almost unprecedented, according to OptaSTATS.
Last 2 games for Bobby Witt Jr. of the @Royals:
9 RBI
8 hits
4 extra-base hits
2 home runs
1 grand slam
1 stolen base
Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, only one other MLB player has put up all of those numbers over a 2-game span: Willie Mays (May 12-13, 1958). pic.twitter.com/KkWJ8BzXwB
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 30, 2023
Nobody but the great Willie Mays has had those kind of numbers over a two-game stretch since 1920.
It’s too bad his talent is being wasted on a really poor Royals team, but Witt is already a star with the stick and with the glove.
For the season, he is slashing .263/.302/.467 with 18 home runs and 29 stolen bases.
He has also excelled as a defensive shortstop.
He is the face of a franchise that dreams about competing for a playoff spot one day in the not-so-distant future.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a path in which it’s possible to see them contend in the next three or four years.
They don’t usually draft well or develop solid players.
Unfortunately, Witt could be trade bait in two or three years from now.
For now, however, let’s all enjoy an impactful young player doing what he knows best.
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