Royals Superstar Bobby Witt Jr. Leaves Yankees, Red Sox Fans Feeling Conflicted
The Kansas City Royals are getting set to take on the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, which puts superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. under the brightest spotlight of his young career.
Witt has achieved incredible heights for a 24-year-old in just his third big-league season. He's the first shortstop in Major League Baseball history with two 30-homer, 30-stolen base seasons, and he will finish second behind the Yankees' Aaron Judge in Most Valuable Player voting this season.
Witt has gotten the hype he deserves for his accomplishments along the way, but the playoffs are always going to bring the most eyeballs to the sport. And going up against the Yankees, baseball's most popular team, gives Witt the opportunity to establish himself as a big-game player.
In an early demonstration of that increased exposure, baseball fans got a glimpse of Witt's baseball-loving past ahead of the series. And Witt dropped an anecdote that is sure to be mind-boggling for both Yankees fans and fans of their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, Witt's two favorite players growing up were Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Witt said he wore number 17 as an amateur because Jeter's number two and Pedroia's number 15 added up to 17.
Witt's love of both players seems to run deep, too. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Witt was watching highlights of Jeter in the playoffs on Thursday night in preparation for the ALDS. And Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com tweeted back in 2022 that Witt's father once sent Pedroia a side-by-side comparison of the two players' swings.
Witt grew up in Texas, so there's nothing wrong with liking players from two different out-of-town markets. But to some Red Sox and Yankees fans, the idea being a fan of both Jeter and Pedroia is impossible to conceive.
If Witt wants to follow the trail blazed by Jeter and Pedroia, beating the Yankees this week would be a great first step. After all, the two legends combined for eight World Series rings, so Witt may as well get a head start on his first one.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org