Daily updates on Bobby Witt Jr. from May
Keeping tabs on the Royals' No. 1 prospect
May 30: Homer hat trick
Bobby Witt Jr. has certainly found his power stroke. After homering on Saturday, Witt got greedy on Sunday, going deep three times in a 12-2 win for Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
THREE. HOMER. NIGHT.
— NW Arkansas Naturals (@nwanaturals) May 31, 2021
Bobby Witt Jr. ties the franchise record for homers in a game by the team, SEVEN tonight for the #NWANaturals and it’s a 12-2 ballgame. pic.twitter.com/BdTTyQJgeG
Each of Witt's home runs -- one in the third inning, one in the fourth and one in the eighth -- were solo shots. The first two cleared the wall in left, and the final one was a no-doubter to center field. This special performance gives him seven home runs through 22 games with the Naturals this season. More »
May 29: Goes back-to-back with Pratto
After going hitless in a doubleheader Friday, Bobby Witt Jr. looked like he might go hitless once again Saturday, as the 20-year-old shortstop struck out in his first three at-bats before hitting a solo homer to salvage the day in the eighth inning. Right after, Royals No. 9 prospect Nick Pratto launched a shot of his own. This was all Double-A Northwest Arkansas could get going though, as the Naturals scored just two runs on the day. Gameday »
May 28: Goes hitless in doubleheader
Bobby Witt Jr. had a night to forget, as the 20-year-old shortstop went a combined 0-for-7 in Double-A Northwest Arkansas' doubleheader with San Antonio. Witt went 0-for-3 in the first game with two strikeouts and 0-for-4 in the second with one strikeout. His struggles continue, as he is now hitting .207 on the year. Gameday (Game 1) » Gameday (Game 2) »
May 26: Drives in one in loss
Bobby Witt Jr. drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in a 1-for-4 performance for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The Royals' No. 1 prospect also scored and struck out once in a 10-7 loss to San Antonio. His lone hit was a single in the first inning, raising his season average a few points to .227. Gameday »
May 25: Cools off in hitless game
After three straight multi-hit performances, Bobby Witt Jr. couldn't collect a base hit in Double-A Northwest Arkansas' loss to San Antonio. Witt went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, two walks and a run scored. His batting average sits at .225 and his OPS at .687 on the year, but with a showing like he had this weekend, those numbers have plenty of room to improve. Gameday »
May 23: Another homer for Witt Jr.
Bobby Witt Jr. showed off his power in style, blasting an absolute mammoth home run in his second at-bat of the game for Northwest Arkansas. It was Witt's second homer in the past three games and measured an absurd 450 feet. It wasn't the only hit for the Royals' No. 1 prospect, who also doubled in his first at-bat. Gameday
May 22: Second straight multihit game
Witt Jr. drove in the winning run as part of a 6-5 victory for Northwest Arkansas. His eighth-inning RBI single capped a 2-for-5 day at the plate and extended his hitting streak to four games. Gameday »
May 21: Hits homer in offensive barrage
Bobby Witt Jr. slapped a two-run homer in the ninth inning of Double-A Northwest Arkansas's 15-5 rout of Springfield. It was his second big fly of the season. Witt ended the night going 2-for-5 with a single, two runs scored, two strikeouts and a walk to go along with his home run. Witt's batting average crawled past .200 with his performance, sitting at .207 now. Royals No. 9 prospect Nick Pratto collected five RBIs on three home runs batting right behind Witt in the 3-hole. Gameday »
May 19: Scores twice in suspended game
Bobby Witt Jr. scored twice in a suspended game for Double-A Northwest Arkansas Wednesday. Overall, baseball's No. 7 overall prospect went 0-for-3 on the night with a walk. The Naturals are currently tied 5-5 with Springfield. Gameday »
May 18: Breaks hitless streak with single
Bobby Witt Jr. recorded his first hit since May 13 Tuesday night, going 1-for-4 with a single. The Royals' No. 1 prospect also struck out twice on the night. Witt has struggled at the Double-A level so far this season, hitting just .184 on the year. Gameday »
May 16: Another down night
Bobby Witt Jr. went 0-for-5 with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Sunday. The Royals' No. 1 prospect is mired in a small slump as he has one hit in his previous 16 at-bats for the Naturals. He owns a .178/.275/.244 slash line through 11 games this season. Gameday »
May 15: Picks up RBI in defeat
Bobby Witt Jr. went 0-for-4 with an RBI in Double-A Northwest Arkansas' loss on Saturday. Witt, the Royals' No. 1 prospect, came up with the bases loaded in the second inning and drove in the Naturals' second run with a grounder to third. He also walked and struck out. Witt has four RBIs over his past four games and a .579 OPS through 10 games this season. Gameday »
May 14: Walks twice in hitless night
Bobby Witt Jr. walked twice in Double-A Northwest Arkansas's loss to Tulsa. Overall, Witt went 0-for-2 with a strikeout to go along with his two walks. Gameday »
May 13: Tallies two RBIs in loss
Wednesday's performance was a tough one to follow, but Bobby Witt Jr. still managed to smack a two-RBI single in the third inning of Double-A Northwest Arkansas's loss to Tulsa. Overall, the Royals' No. 1 prospect went 1-for-5 on the night. Gameday »
May 12: Homers in breakout performance
Bobby Witt Jr. reminded everyone why he is baseball's No. 7 overall prospect Wednesday, slugging his first homer of the year in a multi-hit performance. It is also Witt's first homer at the Double-A level and his second in his professional career. The solo shot came in the third inning off Dodgers' No. 22 prospect Michael Grove.
Witt went 3-for-4 on the night, crossing the plate twice for Northwest Arkansas in its 9-2 win. It was Witt's first multi-hit game of the year and a nice rebound from Tuesday's game where he struck out three times. He raised his average nearly 80 points on the night to .241. Gameday »
May 11: Strikes out three times in hitless night
Bobby Witt Jr. didn't have the finest of performances Tuesday as the Royals' No. 1 prospect went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. While he didn't contribute much, Double-A Northwest Arkansas still beat Tulsa 5-1. Gameday »
May 8: Crosses the plate twice in win
Bobby Witt Jr. scored two runs in a 6-3 win for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Overall, Witt went 1-for-4 with a single, a walk and a strikeout and now has a hit in four straight games. The Royals' No. 1 prospect was also caught stealing for the first time this season. Gameday »
May 7: Collects hit in shortened game
Bobby Witt Jr. went 1-for-2 with a single, a strikeout and a hit-by-pitch Friday as Double-A Northwest Arkansas completed just five innings. His lone hit came in what would ultimately become the final inning. Gameday »
May 6: Witt notches second hit in quiet night
Bobby Witt Jr. collected his second Double-A hit Thursday, but he ended the night wearing the sombrero. The Royals' No. 1 prospect went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts in his third game for Northwest Arkansas. He also stranded five runners on base_._ Gameday »
May 5: Hit No. 1 is in the books
An 0-for-5 performance on Opening Night certainly wasn't what Bobby Witt Jr. had in mind. However, the 20-year-old got in the hit column with a base hit as part of a 1-for-4 night in Northwest Arkansas' win over Arkansas. Witt, who impressed throughout Spring Training, hit .262 over 37 games in the Rookie-level Arizona league during his 2019 professional debut. Gameday »
May 4: Witt Jr. hitless in NW Arkansas debut
In his first professional action above Rookie-ball, Witt went 0-for-5 as the Naturals beat the Arkansas Travelers, 7-4. Witt, who was coming off a stellar Spring Training performance in which he slashed .289/.325/.526, struck out in his first two at-bats. The Royals' top prospect grounded out and popped up in his last two trips to the plate. Gameday »
April 30: Prospects we're excited to see
Witt didn’t look like he was only two years removed from high school this spring, when he hit .289/.325/.526 with three homers (including a 484-foot blast) over 14 games in the Cactus League. The Royals agreed, first sending the 20-year-old to the 2021 alternate site and next to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Witt’s plus power already plays against upper-level arms – thanks to additional experience gained at last year’s alt site – and the hit tool will remain a focus, though that projects as plus as well. Given Witt’s climb thus far, a 2021 Major League debut isn’t out of the question, so catch him while you can in the Minors. More »
April 29: Starting the season at Double-A
With the Minor League season less than a week away, the Royals announced preliminary rosters for their four affiliates on Thursday, headlined by the club’s top prospect and No. 7 prospect in baseball, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who will start the season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas when the season begins May 4.
March 14: Continuing to impress
Witt launched his third homer of the spring in the Royals 8-4 victory over the Dodgers. The 20-year-old turned on a pitch from Julio Urias for a solo home run, raising his slash line to .333/.379/.667 and pushing his spring hitting streak to a modest six games. Gameday »
March 8: Bobby's big blast
Witt provided some fourth inning fireworks in the Royals 10-3 win over the A's, launching a 484-foot blast for his second home run of the spring and his second in as many games. The Royals top prospect continues to impress in his second big league camp, showcasing the tools that made him the No. 2 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. Gameday »
February 4: A top 25 player under 25
Jim Callis: This was a difficult choice for me because there were so many good players and I only had two picks left. Just among shortstops alone, I could have taken Witt, CJ Abrams or Marco Luciano among prospects and Bo Bichette (whom I considered at No. 12). I opted for the guy with the best all-around tools in Witt, who could have plusses across the board and has incredible makeup as well. He’s more of a lock to stay at shortstop than those others I thought about, and he could be a 30-30 player when all is said and done. More »