First Bobby Witt Jr. rookie card

Bobby Witt Jr. was a top prospect and in 2022, he made the Royals Opening Day roster. After he made his MLB debut, I was looking forward to getting a Bobby Witt Jr. rookie card. Eventually, I found a Bobby Witt Jr. rookie card while opening a hobby jumbo pack of the 2022 Topps Update.

On April 7, Bobby Witt Jr. made his MLB debut. In the first game of his career, he collected a hit and an RBI. In the 2022 season, Bobby Witt Jr. played 150 games for the Royals, hitting .254/.294/.428 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI. 20 home runs ranked 2nd among the Royals batters. Additionally, he led the Royals with 80 RBI and he collected 150 hits, which were the most in the Royals lineup. Meanwhile, his speed is pretty good, Witt Jr. stole 30 bases in 2022. While reviewing Bobby Witt Jr.’s stats, I thought about a player who used to play for the Royals for quite a long time. Alex Gordon played for the Royals for 14 seasons. He made his MLB debut in 2007. He retired after the 2020 season. During these 14 years, he slashed .257/.338/.410 with 190 home runs and 749 RBI. He’s a 3-time All-Star and won the Gold Glove award 8 times. Moreover, he and the Royals won the 2015 World Series.  

First season in the MLB
Bobby Witt Jr.		Alex Gordon
22	Age	23
2022	Season	2007
150	Games	151
150	H	134
20	HR	15
80	RBI	60
30	SB	14
.254	BA	.247
.294	OBP	.314
.722	OPS	.725

In Gordon’s first season with the Royals, he batted .247/.314/.411 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI. Gordon’s 15 home runs ranked 2nd among the Royals batters in 2007. Furthermore, he led the Royals with 14 stolen bases. Looking at these two players' first season with the Royals, they each played 150+ games for the Royals. Moreover, they each became a key player in the Royals lineup in the rookie season. They each had similar numbers at batting average and OPS. However, Bobby Witt Jr. did have more home runs and RBI. Furthermore, Bobby Witt Jr.’s OPS+ is 102 in 2022 and Alex Gordon’s OPS+ in 2007 was 90. Overall, Bobby Witt Jr.’s performance in the first season with the Royals seems to be better than Alex Gordon’s performance in the first season with the Royals. At age 22, Bobby Witt Jr. already showed that he could contribute to the Royals lineup. Moreover, Witt Jr. finished 4th in the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year voting. But, Alex Gordon didn’t receive any votes in the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year voting. Bobby Witt Jr.’s start in his career isn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t bad. Nonetheless, Alex Gordon played 14 seasons in the majors. At the beginning of his career, he mainly played at third base. But later in his career, he was an award-winning left fielder. In 2022, Bobby Witt Jr. played 98 games at shortstop and 55 games at third base. Witt Jr. committed 19 errors, tying 3rd most in the majors. Well, it might be too early, but let’s see whether he will spend most of his career as a shortstop. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see when Bobby Witt Jr. will be selected to the All-Star game or win an award.