SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The last time Bobby Witt Jr. hit leadoff in a regular-season game was June 30, 2023, when Witt was 23 years old in his second season in the big leagues. He has batted second in every game since.
Now he’s 25 years old, about to enter his fifth season in the Majors and feels like he hasn’t even yet hit his prime despite the two All-Star Games, two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, a Platinum Glove and two top-five American League MVP finishes.
In other words, Witt is much more established as a hitter now than he was back then, and he knows who he is and what he can do. Hitting leadoff is not so big of a deal and is something he’s open to if the team calls for it.
The Royals got their first look at Witt in the leadoff role in Friday’s 7-6 win over the A’s at Surprise Stadium. Manager Matt Quatraro said he put Witt at the top because it’s what Witt might do for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic soon, so this allows him to get used to it before he leaves. He’s scheduled to play again Saturday against the Rockies and hit leadoff, his final game with the Royals before heading to Team USA camp.
“He’s open to it,” Quatraro said. “He feels much better about where he is as a hitter now than he did a couple of years ago when we talked about leading off. So it’s something he’s open to.”
After a long top of the first inning, Witt jogged into the dugout and immediately hopped back out to take some swings before stepping to the plate. He took a timeout before a pitch was thrown to catch his breath, and then he hit a hard single.
“It’s one of those things where you can’t really think about it,” Witt said. “It’s just one time, so you got to just go out there and do your job.”
The next time Witt came to the plate, there were two men on base -- and he homered, sending a down-and-in slider 346 feet out to the berm in left-center field for his first home run of the spring. That’s, of course, the argument against Witt hitting leadoff; the Royals want to maximize the times that Witt is at the plate with runners on base. He loves those moments, after all.
“Those are big situations and you want to try to drive in those runs,” Witt said. “You put it in your mind now, so then when that time comes in the regular season, you’ve already done it. You want to go through those things, make it as hard as possible in the spring and put the pressure on yourself to maybe make it easier in the season.”
Witt is 6-for-13 this spring with a double, triple, homer and four RBIs. He seems as locked in as anyone as he gets ready for the big moments he’ll inevitably find himself in with Team USA. He’s enjoyed this faster ramp-up, playing more games and in back-to-back games, earlier in the spring.
“It kind of makes me think, ‘Why am I not always doing this?’” Witt said. “I remember my first few Spring Trainings, playing every game, I felt good going into the season. I don’t want to slow down too much and then pick up right away. I just feel ready to roll.”
Estévez’s last outing
Carlos Estévez made his final appearance with the Royals before heading to Team Dominican Republic and the WBC on Friday as well, but the velocity continues to be down from what he’s used to throwing. Baseball Savant registered Estévez’s fastballs as changeups, with the hardest one thrown at 88.1 mph.
It’s not something he’s concerned about because he feels physically fine and has been through this before during the spring, but it is still jarring to see 85-87 mph on the radar gun with his fastball.
“I’m not used to it,” Estévez said. “But I know what’s going on. … It’s just the adrenaline factor. It’s different. It gets me really going. Hopefully the adrenaline gets me going [in the WBC], and from there, we’ll see.”
Estévez emphasized that he feels physically fine and has no concerns. He also noted that if he goes to the D.R. and doesn’t feel good when he pitches in exhibition games and then the tournament, he’ll let the Royals know and come back to Surprise.
“Hopefully the adrenaline of those games gets him going a little bit more,” Quatraro said. “You’d hope to see an uptick each time out. Today we didn’t see that from the last outing, but again, we’re just putting our faith in what he’s done historically.”