It's rare that a player can make a contract worth nearly $300 million look team-friendly, but players like Bobby Witt Jr. are rare.
Last year's AL MVP runner-up isn't quite producing at the same prolific level early on in 2025, but through 23 games (100 plate appearances), he's already accrued 1.1 fWAR, a .307/.370/.477 slash line, and a 136 wRC+. That is superstar-caliber play, especially when you add his brilliance in the field and speed on the basepaths to the overall profile.
It's pretty much a given that Witt is going to be one of the league's best players by now. Not that he should be taken for granted, mind you. There are few people on this planet who are capable of doing the things he can on a baseball field.
When you have such a singularly great talent, it seems like it would be easy to build a competitive team around it. And, yet, much like the Angels with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, the Royals have given Witt an embarrassing supporting cast.
Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia are only positive players for Royals in 2025
Heading into their Tuesday night (4/22) game against the Colorado Rockies, the 9-14 Royals currently have two position players in their starting lineup with an OPS above .600: Witt, obviously, and third baseman Maikel Garcia.
If you think that's bad, consider the fact that the highest non-Witt, non-Garcia wRC+ in the starting lineup is Jonathan India's 69. In other words, the third-best hitter in the Royals' lineup is 31% WORSE than the average major league hitter this season.
Don't worry, we're just getting started. Witt (1.1) and Garcia (0.5) have combined for 1.6 fWAR through the team's first 23 games this season. Do you know what the other seven position players in the starting lineup have contributed? Cumulatively, they've racked up NEGATIVE 2.3 fWAR. Every single player not named Witt or Garcia has provided the team negative value thus far in 2025.
At least veteran free agent pickup Mark Chana is supplying the team a 187 wRC+ through 21 plate appearances off the bench?
Now, we need to take a deep breath here, because unlike the Angels with Trout, the Royals have already experienced a modicum of postseason success with Witt. Kansas City swept the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card round last year, eventually falling to the New York Yankees 3-1 in the ALDS.
In good news, the pillars of that team are still in place. Witt remains a force everywhere on the field, and the starting rotation remains one of the best in baseball, especially thanks to Kris Bubic's breakout performance in April.
The bullpen — the biggest weapon for the 2015 Royals team that won the World Series a decade ago — is once again dominant, led by new closer Carlos Estevez and his 0.90 ERA through 10 innings.
As such, it's clear Kansas City has the makings of a true contender in a wide-open American League this year. Witt is as good as any player in the junior circuit, and the pitching staff can cover for a lot of flaws the offense presents.
However, with an outfield currently contributing -1.1 fWAR to the cause, changes need to be made. A trade, a signing, a promotion, it doesn't matter. Something needs to be done to give Witt a running mate capable of carrying the offense when the shortstop has an off night.
It would be a real shame to see the best Royals team of the last decade squander its chances just because the front office couldn't find someone who can hit.