Bobby Witt

Bobby Witt

24-Year-Old ShortstopSS
Kansas City Royals
2024 Fantasy Outlook
In 2022, Witt missed the memo that rookies were supposed to struggle. In 2023, he missed the long-held belief that sophomores slump as pitchers begin to find weaknesses in younger players to exploit them. The young man was the only other player in baseball besides Ronald Acuna to post at least 30 homers and 40 steals in 2023 and finished tied with Corbin Carroll as the sixth most valuable player in standard league formats. Witt contributed to all five categories while excelling in four of them in 2023. The only area that could stand to improve is his acceptance of walks, as he appears to like them as much as his old man hated to dish them out on the mound. If Witt could boost his OBP over .350, he could lead the league in stolen bases in 2024. As you set your draft preferences for 2024, understand Witt may not even be there if you pick as high as third. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season From Preseason
#3
ADP
$Signed a seven-year, $148.78 million contract extension with the Royals in February of 2024. Contract includes $35 million player options for 2031, 2032, 2033 and 2034. Contract includes three-year, $89 million team option after 2034.
Getting first day off
SSKansas City Royals
September 28, 2024
Witt isn't in the Royals' lineup Saturday against Atlanta.
ANALYSIS
After starting the first 160 games of the season, Witt will get a chance to rest Saturday now that the Royals have officially punched their ticket to the postseason. Maikel Garcia will shift to shortstop in Witt's stead, allowing Paul DeJong to pick up a start at the hot corner.
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Batting Stats
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2024
2023
2022
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
124
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
37
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+5%
OPS vs RHP
2024
 
 
+20%
OPS vs RHP
2023
 
 
+8%
OPS vs LHP
2022
 
 
+1%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022vs Left .808 438 74 18 57 19 .282 .315 .493
Since 2022vs Right .850 1597 230 64 228 91 .290 .341 .509
2024vs Left .846 143 26 4 18 6 .316 .350 .496
2024vs Right 1.012 566 99 28 91 25 .336 .399 .612
2023vs Left .862 147 24 8 15 10 .297 .333 .529
2023vs Right .800 547 73 22 81 39 .270 .315 .485
2022vs Left .717 148 24 6 24 3 .234 .264 .454
2022vs Right .724 484 58 14 56 27 .260 .304 .420
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+25%
OPS at Home
2024
 
 
+32%
OPS at Home
2023
 
 
+19%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+23%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022Home .938 1000 179 41 158 55 .323 .371 .567
Since 2022Away .748 1035 125 41 127 55 .254 .301 .447
2024Home 1.117 347 71 14 57 16 .382 .441 .676
2024Away .844 362 54 18 52 15 .284 .340 .505
2023Home .885 347 56 19 61 18 .298 .332 .553
2023Away .741 347 41 11 35 31 .254 .305 .436
2022Home .799 306 52 8 40 21 .288 .337 .463
2022Away .651 326 30 12 40 9 .223 .255 .397
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Stat Review
How does Bobby Witt compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.54
 
BB Rate
8.0%
 
K Rate
15.0%
 
BABIP
.354
 
ISO
.256
 
AVG
.332
 
OBP
.389
 
SLG
.588
 
OPS
.977
 
wOBA
.415
 
Exit Velocity
92.7 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
35.7%
 
Barrels/PA
10.9%
 
Expected BA
.321
 
Expected SLG
.594
 
Sprint Speed
26.5 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
37.0%
 
Line Drive %
18.6%
 
Fly Ball %
44.4%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Bobby Witt See More
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26 days ago
Vinnie Pasquantino and the Royals face elimination tonight versus the Yankees. John Venezia shares his MLB ALDS best bet for this pivotal Game 4.
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, October 10
27 days ago
Bobby Witt is a top target for Thursday DraftKings MLB DFS contests and someone you should build lineups around.
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29 days ago
ALDS Game 2 for Yankees vs Royals is set for tonight. John Venezia breaks down the odds and lines up his best MLB bets for a showdown in the Bronx that could swing the series.
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Monday, October 7
29 days ago
Monday's top MLB DFS options on FanDuel include Bobby Witt as part of a Royals stack against Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodon.
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Monday, October 7
30 days ago
Bobby Witt the platoon advantage and a top hitting option for Monday DraftKings MLB DFS contests.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
Rookies are supposed to struggle, but someone forgot to tell Witt Jr. He crushed the ball throughout the Cactus League and defied the odds to make the Opening Day roster for the Royals. While he did struggle to accept walks, leading to issues in OBP leagues, he also became just the sixth player age 22 or younger to homer at least 20 times and steal at least 30 bases, while also scoring 80 runs and driving in 80, joining the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Ronald Acuna Jr, Cesar Cedeno, Willie Davis and Mike Trout who did that at ages 21 and 22. Many of his age peers were still in A and AA ball while Witt Jr had an above league average OPS despite the low walk total. He has gone from wildcard last winter to a likely first-round selection in standard 5x5 leagues this winter. The OBP penalty may hang around for another season, but he could be peak Hanley Ramirez in a hurry with his bat and legs.
Witt showcased such a tantalizing combination of power and speed at Double-A and Triple-A (33 HR, 29 SB in 123 games) that he has an NFBC ADP inside the top 100 in November and December draft and hold leagues. We still don't know when he will make his MLB debut, but Opening Day is a possibility, as is late April, depending on the new collective bargaining agreement. While Witt, who turns 22 in June, has experience at the alternate training site and in big-league spring training, he had never played minor-league games above rookie ball prior to last season, which makes his exploits in the upper levels all the more impressive. His hit tool was considered his worst tool when he was drafted, and while that may still be the case, his 23.2 K% in the upper levels suggests it won't be a debilitating issue that prevents him from being a counting-stat monster. As a rookie, Witt shouldn't be expected to come close to the .290 average he logged in the minors last season. A .250 or .260 average in his first season is feasible, but the range of realistic outcomes also dips well below that .250 mark.
Despite having never played in a full-season league, Witt's performance at the Royals' alternate training site was promising enough that there is already speculation he could debut in his age-20/21 season. That may be overly optimistic, but when longtime baseball man and Royals GM Dayton Moore says Witt is the "most talented position player he's ever been a part of" and the word "special" gets tossed around with regularity, it's hard to pump the breaks on the building hype. In the months between spring training and summer camp, Witt was scrimmaging against veteran big leaguers in Texas, and he showed an improved approach all summer. He played primarily shortstop, but also got reps at third base, which would probably be his position if he does debut this year. Witt has the tools to go 35/20, so the rave reviews about his improved hit tool should be music to the ears of anyone rostering him in dynasty.
Projecting how much a high schooler will hit in pro ball is probably the toughest aspect of amateur scouting. For instance, if Witt really hits, he will be a star. But we still have no idea if he will hit big-league pitching. He is excellent at everything else. A 6-foot-1 19-year-old from a baseball family, Witt combines plus-plus raw power with plus speed, above-average shortstop defense, a plus arm and excellent intangibles. Even playing half his games in Kansas City, he has the tools to be a 35-25 guy if he hits. In fact, "If He Hits" would be the title of this outlook. The Royals selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft because they think/hope he will hit. His 19.4 K% and 37.4 Oppo% in the AZL were encouraging marks, but his 52.0 GB% was far from ideal. For the eternal optimists: Witt hit .308/.352/.446 with his lone AZL home run over his final 15 games.
More Fantasy News
Two hits, steal in win
SSKansas City Royals
September 24, 2024
Witt went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 1-0 extra-inning win over the Nationals.
ANALYSIS
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Tallies three more hits
SSKansas City Royals
September 20, 2024
Witt went 3-for-4 in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Giants.
ANALYSIS
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Swipes 30th bag
SSKansas City Royals
September 18, 2024
Witt went 0-for-2 with three walks, a run scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-1 extra-inning loss to the Tigers.
ANALYSIS
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Grand in loss
SSKansas City Royals
September 16, 2024
Witt went 2-for-5 with a grand slam, an additional RBI and a stolen base in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Tigers.
ANALYSIS
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Tops 100 RBI for first time
SSKansas City Royals
September 14, 2024
Witt went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Pirates.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
On fire in July
SSKansas City Royals
August 6, 2024
Witt was named the American League Player of the Month for July on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
The 24-year-old continued to build his MVP campaign during July, as he posted a .489/.520/.833 slash line with eight doubles, seven homers, 10 steals, 22 RBI and 26 runs in 23 games. Witt is on pace for a 30-30 campaign with 20 homers and 25 steals, and his .343 average is currently the best in MLB.
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