It’s been a month since the Opening Day. So far this season, Bobby Witt Jr. has played 28 games, hitting .318/.385/.477 with 2 home runs and 10 RBI. He has a good start in 2025. Well, it’s just the beginning of the 2025 season. However, looking at Bobby Witt Jr.’s numbers, I was just thinking about his career with the Royals.
Bobby Witt Jr. was selected by the Royals in the first round of the 2019 draft. He made his MLB debut on April 7, 2022. From 2022 to 2024, he finished each season with at least 20 home runs and at least 80 RBI. In particular, he was selected to the All-Star game last season and finished 2nd in the AL MVP voting. He slashed .332/.389/.588 with 32 home runs and 109 RBI over 161 games. Additionally, he had 31 stolen bases.
Looking at his numbers, I’m just wondering if Bobby Witt Jr. will finish his career in becoming leaders in several hitting categories in the Royals franchise history. To understand a little bit more, I decided to check on the great baseball reference website.
When it comes to the best hitter in the Royals franchise history, generally, people would say George Brett. Indeed, he’s the only player who collected 3000+ hits in franchise history. Brett spent 21 seasons with the Royals and he had 3154 hits. Moreover, Frank White played 18 seasons with the Royals and had 2006 hits. Alcides Escobar played for the Royals from 2011 to 2018 and he had 1208 hits, which are now the 10th most in franchise history.
Now, let’s look at the leaders in home runs. George Brett blasted 317 home runs in his career. And Salvador Perez, who’s now entering his 14th season with the Royals, has 275 home runs so far in his career. Additionally, Billy Butler and Eric Hosmer each smashed 127 home runs when they played for the Royals.
In addition, let’s look at the RBI leaders. Again, George Brett is on the top of the leaderboard. Brett collected 1596 RBI in his career. Furthermore, Hal McRae played 15 seasons with the Royals, collecting 1012 RBI. And John Mayberry played 6 seasons with the Royals. He had 552 RBI, which are the 10th in the Royals history.
Finally, let’s take a look at stolen bases. Willi Wilson played for the Royals from 1976 to 1990, stealing 612 bases. Amos Otis played 14 seasons for the Royals and had 340 steals. Johnny Damon began his career with the Royals. From 1995 to 2000, he stole 156 bases.
In February 2024, Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals agreed to a 11-year contract extension. There are player options and team options. However, he shall at least stay with the Royals until 2030. Thus far, Bobby Witt Jr. has 572 hits, 84 home runs and 295 RBI. At the same time, don’t forget his speed, he has 118 stolen bases. Looking at the hitting categories in franchise history, we might see Bobby Witt Jr. on the leaderboard soon. If he stays healthy and productive, in the coming seasons, we shall see him reach several key milestones. For example, he will probably reach 1000 hits and surpass Escobar’s 1208 hits in 4 seasons. Moreover, he can blast 30+ home runs in a single season and he could soon surpass Eric Hosmer’s 127 home runs. Furthermore, given that he can collect at least 80 RBI in a season, Bobby Witt Jr. should be able to reach 500 RBI and surpass John Mayberry’s 552 RBI in 3 or 4 seasons. And Bobby Witt Jr.’s speed is pretty good and he might be in the top 10 of the leaderboard of the Royals franchise history this season or next season.
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