Why is Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. the best choice to build a franchise around? Team USA skipper shares multiple reasons

Team USA skipper Mark DeRosa made his feelings known as to why he'd pick Kansas City Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. in a heartbeat as the best selection to be a franchise cornerstone. DeRosa discussed several statistics and mechanics that separate the young infielder from the rest of the current crop of players.

Witt has been widely regarded as one of the most exciting young stars in MLB's next generation. Pundits and analysts have even argued that if not for Aaron Judge's record-setting campaign last year, the shortstop would've easily won the AL MVP with his scintillating season.

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"If I'm starting a franchise today, give me #7 [Witt] on the Kansas City Royals," DeRosa said. (0:17-0:20)

In the most recent episode of MLB Tonight, DeRosa discussed Witt's approach to the game and numbers tallied since his stellar 2024 season.

"[Bobby Witt Jr.] is showing up to be the greatest player that the game has ever seen. Last year, Gunnar Henderson was the talk of the first half at shortstop. [The latter] was the starter in the All-Star game. And all of a sudden Bobby [Witt Jr.] went absolutely bonkers in th second half. (0:21-0:48)

"From July until the end of the year, he hit .355 with a 193 wRC+. So I love having him on the skybox." (1:04-1:15)

DeRosa also talked about the young stud's 19-game hitting streak and praised the batter's mechanics and approach in order to achieve such a feat.

"Every pitch, [his hits] go to big parts of the field and gap-to-gap. [He] can go opposite with power. [He also has] bat speed and handles bad pitches [well]. It's pretty unbelievable what he does." (1:20-1:46)

"There's nothing this guy can't do on the field." (3:43-3:45)

Bobby Witt Jr.'s sensational run of form continues

Coming off the back of an American League MVP podium finish, Kansas City Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. continues to deliver to start 2025. The 23-year-old is currently on a 19-game hitting streak and has shined even though his squad has struggled to start the new campaign.

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Witt is batting at a hot .315/.381/.477 slash line with an OPS+ of 145. He leads the majors in doubles with 12 and also has two home runs, 11 RBIs, and eight stolen bases.

Bobby Witt Jr. ranks in the 100th-percentile when it comes to sprint speed and in the 95th-percentile in expected batting average. Per Baseball Savant, his batting run value is within the 93rd-percentile, baserunning value at the 88th-percentile, and fielding run value at the 92nd-percentile.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago