Bobby Witt Jr. has the chance to become the star of the entire postseason

Is there a better story in the MLB this season than the Kansas City Royals? After a complete nothingburger of a 2023 season, the front office put their heads down, spent a bunch of money, and built a competitive roster around an ascendant superstar — 24-year-old Bobby Witt Jr.

The talented shortstop has now put together back-to-back seasons with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. In terms of pure talent and live-wire athleticism, none can touch Witt.

There are plenty of standout, five-tool players in the MLB these days. Shohei Ohtani went 50-50. Ronald Acuña went 40-70 last season. Elly De La Cruz is at 25-65. So, Witt is not alone when it comes to speed and power.

Shohei is a DH, though. Ronald Acuña is a subpar defender in right field. De La Cruz leads the MLB in errors at shortstop. Witt, all of 24 years old, is slashing .332/.389/.591 and supplying gold-standard defense in the middle of the infield. He is the definitive five-tool player in baseball right now. There truly is not a weak point in Witt's game, not a single chink in his armor.

The Royals, presently tied for the second Wild Card spot in the American League at 85-74, are on track for a postseason berth. Witt is going to finish second in MVP voting behind the indomitable Aaron Judge, and frankly, the case for Witt at No. 1 is stronger than he'll probably ever get credit for. Such is life in small-market Kansas City, away from the coastal powerhouses.

That said, this October will provide Witt with a chance to announce his greatness on a national stage.

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A deep Royals postseason run could thrust Bobby Witt Jr. to the front of the national conversation

The MLB faces the same conundrum as every other major American sports league. It's not hard to drum up attention — clicks, views, engagement — when the Dodgers, the Lakers, the Jets are involved. Find a major market, like New York or LA, and it's low-hanging, cash-rich fruit. It's much harder to build up broad, nationwide interest in Kansas City (unless you're the Chiefs and you're winning the Super Bowl every year with Taylor Swfit in the press box).

Small markets are constantly fighting an uphill battle, and the disparity is perhaps greater in baseball than in any other sport. The MLB is unique in that its postseasons are defined by parity; the 84-win Diamondbacks were in the World Series last season. Small market teams that are well-managed, both on the personnel front and in the dugout, can get to the playoffs and thrive.

That said, the highest-spending teams are pretty much the same year after year. The Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, for a while there, the Angels. Two or three markets tend to dominate free agency, while the less illustrious franchises are left to pick up the scraps and build contenders on a budget. That naturally concentrates the biggest stars in those markets, while the Royals (and teams in that vain) are left relying mostly on local support.

It's not uncommon for small-market owners to use the inferiority of their mainstream appeal to justify a low payroll. For the longest time, Baltimore just wouldn't pay dudes. The White Sox are cheaping out even more after a historic losing season. That's what makes Kansas City's approach last winter — splurging after a god-awful 2023 campaign — all the more unique and all the more commendable.

Kansas City locked up Witt on a long-term contract that should age into one of the best in all of baseball. Then, the Royals added impact free agents across the board, refusing to stew in absolute mediocrity. They realized a special window of opportunity opening up with Witt and leapt through it. Now, Kansas City feels like a team that will be in the postseason mix for the next decade.

Witt has all the elements you want in a comercial superstar. He's just incredibly entertaining to watch, boasting a hard, quick swing that tends to locate leather. In just his third full MLB season, Witt rates in the 100th percentile for expected batting average (.323) and the 98th percentile for expected slugging percentage (.598). He's in the 88th percentile for hard-hit rate and 87th for strikeout rate, per Baseball Savant.

Aside from maybe Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, there hasn't been a better all-around hitter in the major leagues. Sure, Witt's power does not quite translate to 50-plus home runs (yet), but he's spraying extra-base hits all over the ballpark on a weekly basis and absolutely terrorizing defenses with his speed and base-running IQ. The intersection of contact, power, and disicipline are off the charts for such a young player. It's frightening to think that Witt could get better from here.

The Royals have the pitching depth and the offensive support to mount a deep run in the imminently winnable American League. October is built for stars like Witt, and Witt is built for moments like this. It's one thing to tear up the regular season. It's a whole different ballgame, however, when a star blossoms on the national stage in postseason baseball.

Immortals are forged in October. Witt is looking to join the pantheon of baseball greats, and it starts next month.