Iron Witt

 

So just to give you an update on all the guys that were brought up on Opening Day:

• Julio Rodriguez is already getting Rookie of the Year buzz, stealing lots of bases and becoming a major plus for the Mariners
• Spencer Torkelson isn't hitting for average but is still basically playing every day
• Jeremy Pena was having a Rookie of the Year season but is now on the IL for a bit
• Matt Brash has been in the minors for a bit after a rather brash start to his career
• C.J. Abrams has been used sparingly as a backup for Ha-Seong Kim and has been in and out of the majors
• Hunter Greene has been having a high-powered, if very human, rookie year, and Nick Lodolo's on the IL.
• Bryson Stott can certainly hit home runs but he has a ways to go as a defender.

...and then there's Bobby Witt Jr. Who, after a slow start, finally seems to be looking like a pro right now.

I think this is sort of expected, but Bobby Witt Jr. has just warmed up exponentially ever since he started. June, which is so far his best month in the bigs, he's hitting .294 with 15 hits in 51 at-bats. Last month he had 18 RBIs and 6 homers, so far in June he has 9 RBIs. And if Witt is anything like the prospectors have said he is, he's only gonna get better as we go. 

Right now Witt is one of the best performers on the Royals. It's kind of a confused Royals team, as Whit Merrifield, Nicky Lopez, Hunter Dozier and Carlos Santana aren't doing very well, and the team's sort of being held up by Salvador Perez, Andrew Benintendi and Michael Taylor. There's not a lot of true unity right now, there's a lot of different possible approaches clashing, and Witt's youth perception, sort of in with MJ Melendez, is one of them. The team's failing for a lot of reasons, and the disparity is one of them. 

Though I will say, one of the plusses this team is working with is actually the rotation. And it's not even a lot of the guys we started with. Brady Singer started in the bullpen and now he's been pretty impressive in his first 6 starts. Jonathan Heasley was added later and he's been a nice addition, with a 3.72 ERA in 7 starts. Keller, and Lynch fit well with that group, though Kris Bubic is struggling a lot this year. Having a lot of guys who can stay on, and who don't need a ton of work, is a good thing for a last place team. Better than having nothing, like the Reds. Also, Scott Barlow being the best player on this team and doing as well as he's been doing in the ninth is a very good thing. 

I think the more of a role Witt plays in this team, the more direction we'll begin to see. I think we're shaving off the remains of the old guard, the Hosmer/Perez led teams, and we're beginning to rally around people like Benintendi and Witt. Whether this leads to success sooner than later is beyond me.

Coming Tomorrow- At long last, an established pitcher in Cincinnati.