KANSAS CITY – If you’re watching a Royals game on any given night, chances are you’re watching Bobby Witt Jr. impact the game with one of his many talents – his elite speed, his bat-to-ball skills, his strong power or his jaw-dropping defense up the middle of the field.
That’s the benefit of having a five-tool player like Witt on your team, with stats and skills that often seem larger than life.
Now the Royals’ superstar shortstop is getting the full superhero treatment – in anime form. Witt is the latest player to be spotlighted in Major League Baseball’s anime-inspired “Heroes of the Game” series, which debuted ahead of Opening Day and is part of the league’s “Baseball is Something Else” brand campaign.
Previous stars to be featured have included the Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez (April 13), the Pirates’ Paul Skenes (April 25) and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (April 30). Videos for other players are being developed that will incorporate live action with animation in response to big moments during the season.
“It’s pretty cool to see,” Witt said of the video that launched on Tuesday, featuring Witt making a Derek Jeter-like jump and throw from deep in the shortstop hole and highlighting his lightning fast speed on defense. “There’s all sorts of stuff they got right. The video and pictures they got are pretty sweet. And then seeing all the other guys who are involved in it is really special.”
Witt has been one of the Royals’ heroes this season as they enter Tuesday night in a groove, having won 12 of their past 14 games. Witt is slashing .314/.389/.504 with four home runs, 18 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He’s looking to build on a runner-up finish in American League MVP voting last season, a year in which he became an All-Star, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner for the first time, all while leading the Royals to their first postseason appearance in nine years.
Now his focus is all on 2025, and he’s off to a strong start.
He also loves that he gets to represent the Royals and Kansas City as a part of this campaign – all while trying to help grow the game.
“We’ve got this platform, and we want to help show that this is a really cool sport,” Witt said. “And just get people outside and playing baseball. Any type of way to grow fans closer to the game and to sports and being active is really cool, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”