The Royals will be placing Bobby Witt Jr. on their Opening Day roster, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The superstar prospect and second overall pick of the 2019 draft is set to officially begin his big league career when the Royals host the Guardians on Thursday.
There was no doubt that Witt would be making his big league debut at some point this season, as his .285/.352/.581 slash line over 285 Triple-A plate appearances in 2021 indicated that he was very ready for the next step. Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore said last month that Witt would get the “opportunity” to earn his way onto the Opening Day roster, and Witt has only cemented his case after crushing Spring Training pitching.
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement may have also removed an obstacle to Witt’s chances of breaking camp with the Royals. Under the old CBA, the team would have been tempted to leave Witt in the minors long enough to ensure that he wouldn’t gain a full year of service time in 2022, thus giving the Royals an extra year of control over Witt’s services through the 2028 season.
However, the “Prospect Promotion Incentive” in the new labor deal creates the possibility that Kansas City could earn a bonus pick in the 2023 amateur draft if Witt is on the roster for a full year of service time, and if he finishes in the top tier of awards consideration (a top-two finish in AL Rookie Of The Year balloting, a top-five MVP finish, or placement on the first or second-team All-MLB lineup).
Naturally, Witt’s status as one of the game’s top prospects qualifies him as one of the minor leaguers eligible for this PPI plan. Baseball Prospectus and MLB Pipeline each listed Witt atop their most recent rankings of the game’s best minor leaguers, while Fangraphs and Keith Law both ranked Witt second, and Baseball America third. This kind of praise has followed Witt for years, as he is regarded as a five-tool talent by most evaluators.
Originally drafted as a shortstop, Witt is set to begin his career as a third baseman, owing to the presence of Adalberto Mondesi and Nicky Lopez in the middle infield. There is some fluidity in that alignment, as Mondesi is an injury risk, and Whit Merrifield would likely move back to second base in the event that Lopez has to step in at shortstop. Keeping Witt at third base might be the smoothest choice for his development, however, as Witt could stay at the hot corner in more or less uninterrupted fashion, rather than juggling between different positions on a regular basis. If Witt was moved to shortstop or even second base, K.C. could use Hunter Dozier back at third base.
My pick for Al Rookie of the year
He should be everyone’s pick. He’s not a lock. There are a lot of good young players and I’d take the field, but he’s the favorite.
Quite a bold choice (eye roll).
Any of y’all into sports cards? The rookie card class this year is gonna be lit
I have some 1989 Upper Deck Jerome Waltons and Todd Zeiles for you.
I will trade you for some of those. You in need of 1990 UD Van Poppel or Kevin Maas rookies?
Only if you include some 90U Ben McDonalds.
I have a few Bobby Thigpen rookie cards available for swap.
Is anyone in this thread under 45 years old, Jesus?
I am literally familiar with every name mentioned and the company’s card design of each year, and I am under 45.
I’m calling age discrimination.
Haha I just turned 40 in February and I remember a finding a gaggle of Todd van poppel cards in my packs. I even remember opening a pack and getting a Jeter rookie card.
Hey Donny: I’ve got some Cal Ripken, Griffey jr, Mike Trout, Acuna jr for ya. Ya see, sometimes prospects don’t live up to the hype. Sometimes they do and sometimes they exceed expectations.
Lol without hank Aaron throwing a fit to the Braves the Braves we’re going take Todd Van Poppel instead of chipper jones. Aaron told the Braves if you don’t take chipper I won’t be back with anything Braves related.
Yes, I am, why do you ask?
BTW, I have a few Claudelle Washington cards, Alvaro Espinoza, Mike Pags, Mikey Stanley, Jim Abbott, Ricky Henderson (A’s the first time & the second), Steve Sax, Dave Henderson, Dave Winfield, Greg Nettles, Ron Guidry, Dave RIghetti, Kieth Hernandez, Strawberry, Jack Morris, Don Mattingly, & a bunch of others from other teams too,, if you’re interested…. Lol.
You do realize that 45 year old people are no longer confined exclusively to nursing homes and are allowed to inhabit the same Earth as you, right?
Steve Balboni?
I got the Pete Incaviglia 1987 Topps baby!!
We should have all bought Apple stock back then.
I have you beat!
I have Carlton Fisk Tops Rookie Card signed by Carlton Fisk!
I have a Mike Schmidt Rookie card!
Yeah, I am that old!
I got a Mo Vaughn where it say “Maurice” on it.
I also have a David Ortiz where it says “David Arias”
When he connected he hit bombs…Like Rob Deer.
Lmao – I’ve got one of those too! I also got the coolest card out there. Actually 2 of em. Got Billy Martin 72 Tigers card where he flipping off the camera and the Billy Ripken holding a bat that says F*** OFF on the knob of the bat. Their considered “error” cards but they are awesome!
Tcsbaseball: Imo the ’21 Bowman’s Best set is going to be a key set. It’s a 100 card set (hobby exclusive). It has veterans, prospects & draft picks in the same set. Beckett has stated that they’re counting this product as the RC for the non veteran cards. This is due to the established rc criteria used by them for decades. If this holds true, it’ll be the ONLY rc of Wander Franco, Julio Rodriguez, Witt,and Torkelson. This would be key going forward for the ’21 draft picks on the set as well.
@prospect if you invest in that set in the long run you will probably lose money. Despite how Beckett operates ( and they do operate poorly) Bowman’s best is not considered the true of any of those players . You have to debut in the bigs before you get a “rookie card logo” rookie so even though it technically could be wanders rookie (Topps held him out until this year so they could put him in all their products) the same isint the case for any other players you mentioned. They’re true rookies will be in this years sets .
Tcsbaseball- imo first bowman chrome autos is where it’s at. I invest in certain players that I believe in but only first Bowman chrome autos at this point.
Tcsbaseball: I think this is going to be debated for awhile. I didn’t buy (bust) any sealed boxes but I did invest about $600 on assorted cards & parallels of some of the draft guys and prospects. I’ve focused on the refractors, Xfractors & colored cards. Imo, we the collectors should decide what a rookie card is. Look at how many players have rc’s in the NFL & NBA who never even make a practice squad or see anything past the developmental league. So why should the MLBPA & MLB properties dictate to the collectors (investors)? Panini includes the rc logo on their products. They’re licensed by the MLB players (MLB players inc) but not by the league itself. There’s definitely some gray areas in collecting, just as there should be. There’s really no wrong way to collect. I’d rather have a player’s 1st card or a few different brands of them instead of when there’s 25-40 brands of the player 2-4 yrs after he’s been drafted. From a business perspective get some rookie logo stuff to flip but give me a 1st card for my PC.
Bruin1012: I’m pretty much in agreement with you. I normally go with Bowman Draft for 85% of my investment w a sprinkling of other products. I look at it as a sports fans stock market. I do my research and try to invest in what other people aren’t. For example ’18 BDP I went kind of heavy on some pitchers. I figured if KC was going draft 4 college SP’s in the 1st 40 picks, I might as well follow them & see where it could lead. I also bought Logan Gilbert, Shane Mcclanahan, Ryan Weathers, Ryan Rolison, a few Matthew Liberatore and some redemption cards of Grayson Rodriguez.
I also like refractors auto refractors. Some of my biggest hits have been Bowman Chrome Auto refractors.
I rarely invest in Pitchers they are just to unpredictable and injury prone until they are high up. I have invested pretty heavily in Grayson Rodriguez and George Kirby we will see how these guys go. Mostly I invest in position players they are the most consistent money makers.
Wander Franco will definitely have something to say about that
Yall really know how to make a guy feel OLD. I’ve got rookie cards from the 60s-90s, then the 1st ex threw enough of a fit. Still in binders and protectors…
All those cards mentioned and not one person talked about the Gregg Jeffries rookie card that was supposed to be the card when it first dropped. Shows you how hard it is to make an impact at the MLB level even for truly hyped guys.
I quit in 1993 when I got married with a kid on the way. Then the strike happened and the bottom fell out of the market.
But if you keep churning like the commenters above you can build up a nice inventory and make more than the money spent. McGwire helped me get through some paycheck to paycheck moments after buying my first home. And Bonds financed a couple vacations later on.
It was fun and kept me out of trouble. But I should have listened to the store manager where I worked during college and maxed out the 401k.
I’ve got some Jefferies too! 88 Score anyone.
This is such good news to see so many top prospects making OD rosters!
Great for baseball. I love the new CBA.
Good for him, good for KC fans. Hoping he doesn’t make the Orioles think “what if”
They may already be thinking that; Witt’s 2 years younger than Adley and has outperformed his age classification.
I have my doubts about him as a shortstop though. But man his bat-ball is amazing.
AR was still a pretty good choice, though, the only question being was he the BEST choice. Years ago the Rays took Evan Longoria, who certainly has had an upper level career, and provided Rays fans with a lot. But by doing so, they passed on Kershaw. Coulda-woulda-shoulda.
MLB Teams are built around the Catcher.
Dayton Moore wanted Rutschman badly. Happily settled for Witt.
In the 1957 NFL draft Paul Brown wanted wanted Len Dawson badly to replace Otto Graham as his QB. Pittsburgh took him. Even though he had running backs, Brown selected Jim Brown as the best available player when his turn came. Worked out well.
Moore’s first choice WAS Bobby Witt Jr. That’s well documented. They had been following him for a couple years before the draft. They ONLY reason that they were in on Rutschman, is because they figured Witt was going No.1.
Not so sure about that. The Royals already have their next Catcher in MJ Melendez.
Since he’s not going to be playing shortstop, that’s a moot point. We have three elite shortstops in the starting lineup.
The Orioles are fine with Adley this guy is special. I really believe in Witt Jr. and he is going to be a special player. It’s very likely that he is going to be a better offensive player then Adley. The reality though is I think Adley is truly special. I think he is a true difference maker and if the Orioles are coming back as a franchise it’s going to be because of him.
I look at Adley as the kind of guy that will ale everyone around him better. He is an exceptional defensive catcher as well as a well above average potentially as a hitter. The kicker is this guy is a winner he has won at every level. He is a truly exceptional talent in all ways you want the leader of your team to be. I don’t think the Orioles will ever have buyers remorse with Adley even though Bobby Witt Jr is going to be an offensive force and the front runner for rookie of the year. As a Red Sox fan I wish the Red Sox had Adley as the future catcher very jealous he is special.
That’s what everyone thought about Wieters..Hoping for the best for him as a baseball fan..but ya never know..
Witt. Spencer Torkelson. Hunter Greene. I wonder what other prospects will be making the opening day rosters
Rutschman and Riley Greene probably would have.
Maybe Julio Rodriguez, though that OF is packed. Oneil Cruz should have made it.
No Kyle Lewis or Evan White on the Mariners opening day roster so there is at least a small chance Rodriguez could make it
Detmers too.
To be fair, Detmers was already called up last season
Abrams is gonna make SD’s..
Cruz needs to get acclimated to the outfield and the Pirates have plenty of time.
Before getting absolutely rocked in his last outing, Cade Cavilli was trying to force his way into the Nationals wretched rotation.
Great for baseball
Yoan Moncada is a better player than Bobby Witt Jr. today …. Will still be a better player tomorrow and will still be a better player than Witt 5 years from now.
What’s that got to do with anything?
Lol
Babe Ruth is better than moncada and witt and his dad, i think
my cat’s breath smells like catfood
Lisa Simpson is a girl at my school!
What are you drunk?
Bs
Not too bright of them
The Royals are getting exciting again. A lot of their success for the next few seasons will depend on if their young pitching can start to succeed more at the big league level, which is certainly has the talent to. But their offense is what should be really fun to watch, possibly as soon as the beginning of this season. Looking at the team’s offensive spring training stats was absurd, almost every hitter had an OPS over 1.000. And it’ll just get better and better as guys like Pratto, Melendez, Pasquatino, etc. arrive.
Dayton Moore has never, ever had even the slightest hint of service time playing a role in deciding who makes the roster and when.
What if he drafts his son in the first round this year? No matter what he does, wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest?
I very much doubt he will be drafting his Son to the Royals. his son would probably prefer to be drafted somewhere else. Can you imagine the immense pressure on him if he was drafted to the Royals?
As a baseball fan, it’s great to to see a few top prospects, such as Witt, make the team out of camp. It’s far more fun to look forward to these prospects breaking camp with big league clubs as opposed to hearing arguments about service-time manipulation.
As for the Royals, it’s not that difficult to get a player like Witt when you’re an organization built on losing. They haven’t been above .500 in 23 of the last 27 seasons. They’ve had six–SIX!–seasons when they’ve lost 100 or more games in that span, including 104 and 103 in 2018 and 2019. That 104 losses is what led to Witt. The same draft that the 115-loss Orioles landed Rutschman. It’s easy to get a great pick when you lose. The Orioles are heading into what would be their 4th out of 5 seasons losing over 100 games. Yes. I’m predicting another 100+-loss season for the Orioles. Only 2020 and Covid saved them from making it 5 straight. I can tell you right now who the Orioles will pick at #1. I’m not a talent evaluator, yet somehow I could make the easy #1 pick for the Orioles. Sorry, but what teams like the Orioles and Royals do does not take brilliance, It’s not good for the game and it’s treating their fanbases as irrelevant. I guess the way today’s game is structured, maybe they are. Is a team like the Royals, who waste money signing Dozier to a long-term deal, or pick up a fading Santana smart?
I’m looking forward to seeing Witt with the Royals and Torkleson with the Tigers, and hopefully a few others, break camp with their teams, kind of the way it used to be.
@Rob M – Remember there is now a draft lottery and I believe the bottom 3 or maybe even bottom 5 teams have an equal chance at the #1 draft pick so even if Baltimore loses the most games in baseball, they are no longer assured the #1 pick in next year’s draft.
If there is a faux cap, they should have the ENTIRE draft be a lottery and even out every team’s chance to get top prospects. That’s competitive balance…. But the fans of the teams benefitting now (the losing/tanking teams) won’t like that because then they won’t have engineered winning for their teams.
Anyway, I enjoy seeing these guys come up & play – Witt, Torkleson, Rutchmann, Greene, Peraza, etc – yeah, it’s good for baseball, man.
The economics of the game will always leave even the best small market teams in a cycle of winning and losing. They will need a wave of young players coming up together (like the Royals had in Hosmer, Moustakas and Perez in 2011), and will hope to supplement them with a few decent vets, some lucky hits, and a traded star for more young players (Greinke for Cain and Escobar) and hope they have the right mix. Then, when close, they traded prospects for rentals to put over the top (getting Zobrist and Cueto).
The Royals rode that to an AL Championship 3 years later in 2014 and a WS win in 2015. Then they did NOT do a tear down — instead, they rode the core for two more years (with payrolls in the top half of the league). Underperformance and injuries kept them a .500 team in 2016 and 2017. But they didn’t tank. The suggestion they did is simply counterfactual.
Then they lost the core to free agency and had a gutted minor league system. So, yes, they built through the draft. It’s the only way a small market team can win — they can’t pay $100m guaranteed contracts, much less the trend of $200m and $300m guarantees that could saddle them for years.
With that said, in the AL, of the last 10 AL champions, 3 have been small market (Royals 2, Rays), 3 have been mid market (Tigers, Indians), 5 have been large (Boston 2, Astros 3). And the Astros tear down after 2010 was just smart as they had an old roster that couldn’t win. Not so much about not spending money as getting young talent. And Houston kept core together as long as possible (and has had a top 3 payroll the last 2 years).
I often still wonder if Yordano Ventura had NOT died in that tragic accident what the Royals would have done in 2017. They probably would have still had around the same record but they may have had a better chance at a wildcard.
I agree Milb Tv is very affordable it’s a great deal.
My question is how long can they keep Pratto and MJ Melendez down those guys can hit too the future is bright for the Royals.
Melendez has been working out at different positions. Pratto would probably make the team if they could find a taker for Santana
That Santana deal is aging poorly for KC. If Pratto continues to rake in the minors, KC will have no choice but to promote him even if that means DFAing Santana.
Pratto will be up the first sign of a Santana slump.
My guess as soon as Nick Pratto is hitting something like 400 in AAA and clearly 100% ready they will try to find a way to trade Carlos Santana. AAA season begins on Tuesday and I have a subscription to MILB.TV (Which unlike MLB TV, not have blackouts for me) So I can tune in and watch the AAA games and the AA games and watch Nick Pratto and MJ Melendez & others play. It’s a lot cheaper than MLB TV.
Good article. Only disagreement is that it is very unlikely that Dozier plays 3rd again, absent multiple injuries or an emergency situation. His defense there is poor, has never gotten better, and he is now 30. He is an adequate corner outfielder, however, with slightly below average range, but few mistakes and a good arm,
agree there. The only way he would play third is an emergency situation. Plus if Mondesi gets hurt Bobby would still be at third If Nicky lopez moved over to shortstop and whit back moved to second.