KANSAS CITY, MO (June 12, 2019) – The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have agreed to terms with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the club’s first-round pick (2nd overall) in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Witt Jr., who will turn 19 years old on Friday, is the son of right-handed pitcher Bobby Witt, who played 16 seasons with seven different teams in the Majors from 1986-2001, and was the third overall pick by Texas in the 1985 Draft. The Witts are the ninth father-son duo selected in the first round and the first to be selected within the first three picks. They pass Tom Grieve (6th overall in 1968) and Ben Grieve (2nd overall in 1994) as the highest-drafted father-son duo.

Witt Jr. hit .500 (63-for-126) this season with 37 extra-base hits in 38 games, including 15 home runs and 44 RBI, recording a .575 on-base pct. and 1.095 slugging pct. He also had eight triples and 16 stolen bases. Last month, he was named the Gatorade National High School Baseball Player of the year, which recognizes the most elite high school student-athlete in the country. On Saturday, Witt Jr. led Colleyville Heritage High School (Texas) to the school’s first UIL (University Interscholastic League) state title with a 14-2 win over Georgetown.

He is the third player chosen second overall in Royals history, joining Alex Gordon (2005) and Mike Moustakas (2007).