Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. entered elite company over this past weekend.
The Kansas City Royals have had an extremely underwhelming season so far. Even after Sunday's win against the Philadelphia Phillies, they still sit at 36-54, far out of the playoff race in a weak American League.
Still, despite the teamwide struggles, none of it falls on shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Now in his fifth MLB season, he is heading to the All-Star Game for the third straight year, this time as a starter for the first time in his career.
Defensively, he has remained elite and is capable of winning another Gold Glove at one of the most important positions in the game.
At the plate, he has posted a .286 batting average, .358 on-base percentage, .823 OPS, 12 home runs and 36 RBIs across 83 games. He dealt with a Grade 1 right knee sprain earlier this year that briefly interrupted his momentum and forced him to miss some time, but aside from that he has been exceptional.
However, one aspect of his game that has continued to thrive is his base stealing. On Sunday, Witt reached a major accomplishment, stealing his 30th bag of the season and officially reaching the 30-plus steal mark for the fifth straight year.
In doing so, he joined Rickey Henderson, Ichiro Suzuki and Vince Coleman as the only players in MLB history to accomplish the feat in each of their first five seasons.
"Bobby Witt Jr. is among some great company. He's collected 30+ steals in each of his first 5 MLB seasons! 😯," the league wrote on X.
That is genuinely elite company for Witt to be in. He stole 30 bags during his rookie season before taking off in 2023, when he stole nearly 50 bases. Since then he has routinely surpassed the 30-steal mark, but this season he is on pace to potentially pass 50 for the first time in his career.
What makes it even more impressive is that he has continued to steal bases while managing his right knee injury. Most players dealing with a knee issue would be far more conservative on the bases, but Witt has not let it slow him down at all.
For a Royals team without much to celebrate this season, moments like Sunday's are a reminder of just how special their shortstop is and how fortunate they are to have him locked in as the face of their franchise for years to come.
