BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @Gosset41
Bobby Witt Jr., who led Colleyville Heritage HS to a state baseball championship in 2019, just ended with one of the best MLB regular seasons in franchise history. On the final day of the regular season Sunday, Witt Jr. captured the AL batting crown over Vladimir Guerrero and Aaron Judge. He also has the best average in all of the major league. Guerrero is second at 0.323.
Witt finished with a 0.332 batting average in 161 games this season and went 1 for 4 on Sunday. He’s the third player in Royals history to lead the league in batting average – the first since Willie Wilson in 1982, over 40 years ago.
Witt also finished with his second 30-30 season with 31 stolen bases and a career best 32 home runs. Witt joins Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts as the only players to lead the league in batting average during a 30-30 season.
His 32 home runs ranks 16th overall and ninth in the AL.
He also led the MLB with 211 hits. Second place had 200.
In February, Witt Jr. agreed to an 11-year extension with KC – worth over $288 million. He became the first Royals player with 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in a season last year and first with 30 and 40. Now he’s added another 30-30 year.
A graduate in 2019 from Heritage, the No. 1 overall prospect helped the Panthers to the Class 5A state championship, was District MVP, Gatorade Texas and National Player of the Year and Star-Telegram all-area MVP. He was picked No. 2 overall by the Royals.
He batted 0.500 as a senior with 63 hits, 37 going for extra bases. He finished with 15 home runs and 44 RBI while recording a .575 on-base percentage and 1.095 slugging percentage.
Witt Jr.’s father, Witt Sr., played in the MLB for 16 years with 11 coming as a Texas Ranger.
He also finished second in this season’s HR derby which was played at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The Royals are back in the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015 and will face Baltimore in the opening round.
