PEORIA, Ariz. -- Bobby Witt Jr. had one of those games on Monday night.
You know the one. Two doubles, one of which had you thinking, ‘How did he get to second base that fast?’ A stolen base. And two jaw-dropping defensive plays that had even the best pitcher in the world smirking with joy.
Playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Witt is doing on a global stage what the Royals have come to expect -- but never take for granted -- from their generational shortstop: The ability to do things on the field that very few people can do or have done.
“To say I’m shocked, I don’t know if I can, because I’ve seen it quite a few times,” starter Cole Ragans said. “But at the same time, it never gets old.”
“We’re all amazed but not surprised,” second baseman Jonathan India added. “That’s what he does. I see it next to me all the time. He’s a six-tool player.”
By the time the Royals showed up for another day of Spring Training on Tuesday, an eventual 4-3 loss to the Mariners at Peoria Stadium, almost everyone in the organization had seen the plays Witt made Monday night to rob Mexico hitters in back-to-back innings. For his first act, Witt ranged to his right and onto the outfield grass to snag Alejandro Kirk’s one-hopper with a full-extension dive before throwing from his knees to get Kirk out at first.
“Oh my god,” India said. “Of course I saw it. It hurt my shoulder looking at it.”
Nick Gonzalez’s ball was hit harder an inning later, but Witt still made a full diving stop, leapt to his feet and threw a rocket to first for the out.
“I don’t have FOX at the house, so all of a sudden people are texting, ‘You got to see these plays,’ so now I’m scrambling to go find the plays,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s one of the best players in baseball, if not the best all around player. To have him on our team, we should be really grateful for that and happy to see it on a regular basis.”
After the first play, Pirates ace and reigning Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes could only grin at Witt with amazement in his eyes, saying afterward that it was “one of the best plays I’ve ever seen.”
Royals pitchers know that feeling well, too.
“Oh, I saw those plays,” reliever John Schreiber said. “It’s always great knowing he’s on our team.”
“To be sitting back and watching it on TV, it’s like a different lens,” Ragans added. “And then you see all the guys that don’t play with him all the time -- Skenes is smirking, you’re watching [Bryce] Harper, all the guys. Those are the best of the best watching the best of the best. Seeing them getting fired up like that -- I mean, Bob’s unbelievable.”
Just another day in Witt’s world.
“It’s normal for K.C. people because he does it all season long,” catcher Carter Jensen said. “But it’s cool that everybody else is seeing it and realizing that it’s what he does.
“Nuts. He’s freaking insane.”
Ragans bounces back
Spring Training results might not matter, but nobody who takes the field wants to play poorly, and that especially includes one of the Royals’ fiercest competitors in Ragans. So after a six-run outing against the Rangers last week, Ragans was looking forward to getting back on the mound Tuesday against the Mariners. He allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings with five strikeouts.
“First-pitch strikes weren’t amazing, but overall, feel-wise and stuff-wise, I felt good,” Ragans said. “Obviously, a little more swing and miss today. Got some bad swings on the slider, which is a good sign. Swing and miss on the heater. Babied the changeup a little bit today, but overall, happy for the most part with how my stuff is right now.”
Eleven of the Mariners’ 30 swings against Ragans were whiffs (37%), including five whiffs on seven swings on the slider. Seattle stacked its lineup with five lefties against Ragans, which he was glad to see so he could work on his locations to lefty batters, who have performed slightly better against the left-handed Ragans in his career.
“I think I’ve made myself only throw in one location, essentially, to lefties, so it makes it a little easier for them to just look in one spot,” Ragans said. “... It’s more like, let’s get the heater to both sides, let’s work on the heater into lefties, let’s get the slider dialed in. That way it’s like having the whole repertoire to both sides so they can’t sit in one area or on one pitch because I’m eliminating pitches myself.”
Loftin scratched
Royals utility man Nick Loftin was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with “general soreness,” but Quatraro did not disclose anything else about where the soreness is or when it occurred.
“Not going to say anything more than that right now,” Quatraro said. “We’re going to check and make sure everything’s all right before we do anything else tomorrow.”
Loftin, who is competing for an Opening Day roster spot with the Royals, has a 1.105 OPS and two home runs, along with four walks and just two strikeouts, in 26 Cactus League plate appearances this spring.