Good news: Kansas City Royals players have nominated a star player among their team players as their new head coach in the next two to three days.

Good news: Kansas City Royals players have nominated a star player among their team players as their new head coach in the next two to three days.

Positive news: Over the following two to three days, Kansas City Royals players will choose a standout player from their squad to serve as their next head coach.

History will not recall how terribly the 2023 Royals All-Star representative aged. Thanks to a spectacular May and his popularity throughout the league, catcher Salvador Perez was Kansas City’s lone All-Star heading to Seattle. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. ought to have been an All-Star for the Royals, though, looking back. Witt has an opportunity to make his first All-Star trip now, following a huge extension and a seventh-place finish in AL MVP voting.

 

Kansas City’s captain may be Perez, but Witt, with his $288.7 million 11-year deal extension, is the team’s national face. Given Witt’s superstar potential, that surpassed every previous Royals contract, free agency or not. In 2023, he achieved that promise, as his 5.7 fWAR placed him seventh among all AL players.

The allure of Witt’s 2023 was his ability to shine both on the field and at the plate. His poor defensive play in his 2022 debut season was the asterisk that overshadowed his strong offensive output. Witt has the skill and the experience to go one step further as he begins his third season.

“You simply have to get better each and every day,” Witt stated upon being ranked as the 20th-best MLB player by MLB Network. But then, just live day by day as well. Give your whole attention to now, and don’t truly worry about tomorrow. Really, I believe in my process.”

2023 saw the payoff of that approach; will 2024 see any additional progress? I think so. He is third in the AL after Gunnar Henderson and Corey Seager, according to Depth Charts estimates. Though they lack Witt’s raw tools, both of those players are outstanding at what they do. Watch for a Kansas City shortstop to start the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, in 2024.