Bobby Witt Jr. Climbs Again in Latest MLB Pipeline Rookie Ladder
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The Kansas City Royals' 2022 season hasn't gone as expected, but rookie phenom Bobby Witt Jr. is beginning to live up to the hype.
As of Thursday, Witt is hitting just .243 with a .291 OBP. With that said, he's balancing that out with a .457 SLG and a .214 ISO that rank sixth and third, respectively, among all rookies. He also boasts a 107 wRC+ on the year and ranks third among first-year players in fWAR.
Witt may not have the most impressive season-long set of stats, but he's been good nonetheless. The former No. 2 overall MLB Draft pick is also now being recognized for his performance on the field. MLB Pipeline is taking notice, and Witt has made the jump from third to second in the site's latest MLB Rookie of the Year power rankings. Here's what Matthew Leach wrote about Witt:
Jun 25, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run during the third inning against the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
You could just about copy-and-paste the above comment for Witt. He had a tough April, started hitting for power in May, and started commanding the strike zone more in June. Witt, like Rodríguez, is also racking up stolen bases and playing a premium defensive position well. These guys are both special, and it’s going to be fun watching them match feat-for-feat for the rest of the season.
The article adds that DraftKings gives Witt 7-to-1 odds as of the publishing date to win the American League Rookie of the Year crown. He'll have to compete with the Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez, who is putting together a great first year in his own right. Both players came out of the gate struggling to begin the 2022 campaign, but both have also caught fire and have been performing at well above average levels ever since.
In Witt's case, his month of June has been quite fruitful at the plate. In 26 games, he's slashed .263/.318/.485 (.803 OPS) with 10 extra-base hits (five home runs), 15 RBIs and a 121 wRC+. Witt's 0.8 WAR over that span ranks ninth among all qualified shortstops. For the season, he trails only Salvador Perez on the team in ISO and he's the highest-rated player in SLG among full-time Royals.
The best is yet to come for 22-year-old Witt, and he already has an impressive baseline for success. Not only does he rank in the 100th percentile in all of baseball in sprint speed per Baseball Savant, but he's in the 92nd percentile in maximum exit velocity, 86th percentile in average exit velocity and the 72nd percentile in HardHit%. Witt's raw power is very legitimate, and he should only continue to settle more and more into the rest of his game over time.
It remains to be seen whether Witt can catch Rodriguez in the race for Rookie of the Year, as the Mariners standout is truly coming into his own. This is without even beginning to mention Houston Astros infielder Jeremy Peña or Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. The MLB season is a marathon rather than a sprint, so it's anyone's game as the month of June comes to a close. For Witt's sake, that's a good sign.
