Scouts turned up en masse at Colleyville Heritage High School games in 2019 to celebrate one of the top prospects in the upcoming draft, Bobby Witt Jr.
The best way to keep the pressure off, Witt realized, was to win.
“My ultimate goal was to win a state championship at that time,” Witt recalls. “So it took away all that pressure.”
The week the Kansas City Royals ranked him overall no. 2 in the 2019 draft, Witt and his teammates won the Texas 5A state title.
“I think it only came from a young age and always had pressure on me. To take that pressure away was to go out there and perform. “I think if you perform under pressure, it makes the game a lot easier,” Witt told USA TODAY Sports via Zoom. “It also comes with the preparation. I feel that if you make your work harder than the game, it makes the game easier. So that’s kind of what I did. ”
Last year in spring training, Witt said he felt a similar pressure return – the need to do more.
“When really, I did not,” he said.
Witt went on to hit .290 with 35 doubles, 33 home runs, 97 RBIs, 29 stolen bases and a .936 OPS between Class AA Northwest Arkansas and AAA Omaha. He was named USA TODAY Sports’ Minor League Player of the Year.
“So this year just came in knowing I had to be myself and just help the team,” said Witt, the son of 16-year-old MLB pitcher Bobby Witt. “And won.”
Losing is not something Witt particularly enjoys, and the Royals have not had a winning season since the team won the 2015 World Cup.
Kansas City to put Witt, who was named the leading prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline this week, on its opening list would indicate an attempt to stem the tide.
“It will be a dream come true, almost – ultimate goal to do so,” Witt said when asked about breaking camp with the big league club. “I feel like in ways, because the Royals have up-and-down seasons, I can help the team. That’s really what I want to do. Just what they did (in 2014 and 2015), to see the team that way. , is incredible.I hate to lose, so I want as much as I can to help the team win.I feel maybe there is a fit there where I can help and that’s how my mentality is set. ”
Through six spring practice games, Witt already has two sample homers and is 7-for-16 with 5 RBI.
Witt spoke to USA TODAY through his partnership with Chinook Seedery, a brand he started following on Instagram in high school. Partnership with a Texas-based (Austin) company was important to Witt, and he is also a shareholder.
When Witt saw Chinook brands in Royals’ locker rooms, he was delighted. Witt even spent a weekend at headquarters this off-season.
“I’ve had seeds all my life,” Witt said. “Knowing what was really behind it was very cool.
Chinook is working with Witt on a new fragrance coming out later this year. Witt, a fan of both Texas and Kansas City barbecues, said the flavor could have chicken-wing inspiration, or a “Whataburger-type thing.” However, this is a secret for now.
“We have some good stuff coming up,” he said.
On and off the field.
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
