Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is one of MLB’s top young stars. Witt Jr. recently made a special announcement. But he’s still focused on helping the Royals make up ground in the American League wild card standings.
Bobby Witt Jr. Will Play For Team USA in Next Year’s World Baseball Classic
Witt Jr. intends to represent the United States once again in the World Baseball Classic in 2026. He joins Team USA captain Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and ace pitcher Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates as early commitments.
As USA Today MLB writer Bob Nightingale points out, this will be Witt Jr.’s second straight appearance on Team USA.
Witt Jr. is going to have a much bigger role on the team compared to 2023, when he was limited to two at-bats in the entire tournament. He was playing behind infielders Trea Turner, Tim Anderson, and Jeff McNeil. Team USA lost to Japan in the WBC finals 3-2.
The best baseball moment of 2023 was easily Shohei Ohtani vs Mike Trout. Not close. pic.twitter.com/0FsC1PzThJ
— Josh Reed Enjoyer (@DeVriesBurner) January 1, 2024
Witt Jr. has established himself as one of baseball’s elite players over the last three seasons. After finishing seventh in American League Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2023, Witt Jr. finished as the runner-up in 2024 after putting together an incredible season.
He won the American League batting title, led the AL in hits, hit 32 home runs, had 109 RBIs, stole 31 bases, and won a Gold Glove Award.
Witt Jr. currently leads the AL in doubles with 27 and is sixth in the league in stolen bases with 21. He’s already 14 outs above average defensively at shortstop, which puts him on track to win his second straight Gold Glove Award.
Bobby Witt Jr. last 2 seasons
(200 games):.330/.390/.577 (169 OPS+)
260 hits (most in MLB)
61 doubles (most)
11 triples
37 home runs
44 stolen bases
61 extra bases taken (most)
+16 outs above average
12.1 bWAR | 12.8 fWARHe’s a perfect baseball player. pic.twitter.com/PUn2QoVBuB
— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) May 9, 2025
While his power numbers are down, they are somewhat misleading. Witt Jr. has been good this season. His .822 OPS is over 150 points lower than last season. However, his exit velocity is a career-high 93 miles per hour and his chase rate is down. Witt Jr. is hitting the ball harder than ever while not sacrificing plate discipline.
Witt Jr.’s expected batting average of .308 is well above his current average of .282. It suggests that he could have a great summer if he stays steady. The Royals need the best version of Witt Jr. as the Kansas City offense is the primary reason the Royals are 3 1/2 games back for an AL wild card spot.