It has been a brutal season for the Kansas City Royals as they have regularly been taken apart by the opposition and find themselves in last place in the American League Central. Despite their 35-75 record, there have been a few positive moments. Perhaps the best of those have been provided by Bobby Witt Jr.

Witt hit his 20th home run of the season Friday night against the Philadelphia Phillies and he also stole a base, his 32nd of the season. He became the first player in Major League history to hit at least 20 home runs and steal at least 30 bases in each of his first two seasons.

The Royals shortstop hit exactly 20 home runs and stole 30 bases in 2022, his rookie season. He played in 150 games as a rookie and slashed .254/.294/.428. Witt also drove in 80 runs during his rookie season.

He has continued to advance in his second season with the Royals. He is slashing .269/.307/.474 and he has knocked in 64 runs.

Witt has put his speed on display on a regular basis. In addition to his stolen base totals, Witt lashed 6 triples in his rookie season and he has 7 three-base hits this season.

Witt is the son of former major league pitcher Bobby Witt. The elder Witt pitched 16 years in the major leagues between 1986 and 2001. He spent 11 of those years with the Texas Rangers and he was known for his fastball.

Bobby Witt Jr.  was the second pick overall in the 2019 draft, and he has begun to live up to that status. If the Royals can develop a bit more talent, they will have a chance to show significant improvement in the future.