Led by their superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the Kansas City Royals are one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball this season. After finishing last season with a 56-106 record in 2023, the Royals have a 60-49 record and are currently in position to make the postseason, tied for the second American League Wild Card spot.
The 24-year-old Witt Jr. spoke about just how well his team is playing ahead of their game against the Detroit Tigers Thursday in an interview on “Off Base” with Lauren Gardner, Xavier Scruggs, Russell Dorsey and Ariel Epstein.
“We've already won more games than we did last year,” Witt Jr. said. “This team that we have is really special. The group of guys we have is amazing, just really looking forward to what we have to come.”
“It just means more seeing that we're up in the race,” Witt Jr. continued. “I feel like we knew that this is what we were going to do going into spring training, the team that we had, the additions we made and the core group of young guys we had. This has always been a goal of ours and we're just proving ourselves right.”
The Royals had a very busy offseason, bringing in starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, relievers Will Smith and Chris Stratton and outfielder Hunter Renfroe. Even though Lugo was an All-Star this season and is in consideration for the AL Cy Young, their biggest move was locking up Witt Jr., signing him to a historic 11-year, $288.7 million contract to keep him in Kansas City long term.
Bobby Witt Jr. leading the way in Kansas City
Witt Jr. is looking like one of the best players in baseball this season. An All-Star and Home Run Derby participant, Witt Jr. leads the major leagues with a .349 batting average, 151 hits, 91 runs and has 19 home runs, 10 triples and 24 steals all while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop.
While other Royals are stepping up, like veteran catcher Salvador Perez, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and Lugo, Witt Jr. is the biggest reason why the Royals are where they are.
If they are able to keep their position and make the postseason, this will be one of the greatest single-season turnarounds of all time. The Royals aren't just be a feel-good story either, they're showing that they are a legitimate World Series contender.
Like Witt Jr. said, this is a “really special team.”
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