Bobby Witt Junior, who helped the United States win the 2018 Pan American Championship and represented his country at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, agreed to an 11-year contract extension with the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) worth US$288.7 million. It's the largest contract in the franchise's history.
Born in 2000, Witt was the second overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft. He signed for a US$7.79 million bonus and made his professional debut at the Rookie League level.
He didn't play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball (MiLB) season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Witt starred at the Double-A and Triple-A levels in 2021, combining 33 home runs and 29 stolen bases, and made his MLB debut on Opening Day 2022. He would play 98 games at shortstop and 55 at third base.
In 2023, Witt appeared in 159 of 162 regular season games, 149 at shortstop and 10 at DH. He hit 30 home runs and stole 49 bases.
Witt is the son of Bobby Senior, who pitched 16 MLB seasons and is currently a player's agent and his son's advisor. Bobby's uncle Mike was also an MLB pitcher for 12 seasons.
