WITT AND GRIT: Royals rookie sizzles at plate
Bobby Witt Jr. has been on an offensive tear in July and one of Major League Baseball’s hottest hitters through most the month.
The Kansas City Royals rookie shortstop — who has strong Bartlesville roots — is hitting .303 (20-of-66) for the month, boosting his season batting average 11 points (.254) to where it stood at the end of June.
Witt’s production is highlighted by a blazing stretch from July 4 through July 16. During that stretch, he batted safely in 11 of 12 games — his batting total included 20-of-50, an average of .400.
Some of his other July stats include two doubles, two homers, eight RBIs, 5-of-6 stolen bases and seven runs scored.
Witt’s improved hitting stroke also helped bolster the team’s success — a winning record (8-5) from July 1 through July 14.
Witt’s signature game, so forth, of the month was a 4-for-5 day, with a double and three RBIs, in a 7-3 victory July 11 against Detroit.
For the season, Witt is hitting .254, with 48 runs scored, 18 doubles, five triples, 13 homers, 47 RBIs and 17-of-20 stolen bases.
During the recent All-Star voting, Witt was one of nine Royals put on the ballot. During Phase 1 of the vote-gathering, he received 129,824, as of late June. In a poll of ESPN contributors, Witt received a vote to be an All-Star reserve shortstop.
Although he didn't get an All-Star nod this year, Witt still is on pace for a record-setting rookie season in offensive production.
A product of Colleyville, Texas, Witt is the son of former Major League star pitcher Bobby Witt and Laurie Capps of Bartlesville. Capps grew up in Bartlesville and excelled in cheerleading.
Witt’s grandfather Ron Capps still lives in Bartlesville and follows closely the career of his grandson.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bobby Witt Jr. turns up hitting heat in July
