Did Bobby Witt Jr’s WBC Performance Show That He Can Be the Royals’ Leadoff Hitter? – Royals

Team USA fell short for a second-straight World Baseball Classic. In 2023, they lost to Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan. This time, on March 17th, they lost 3-2 to Team Venezuela, a team led by Royals players Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia, the latter of whom was named MVP of the WBC.

For Team USA and fans, it was a frustrating end to a promising World Baseball Classic. However, Royals fans were able to see star Bobby Witt Jr. show glimpses of his potential on the big stage.

In 24 WBC at-bats, Witt slashed .250/.400/.333 with a .733 OPS. He had two doubles, three stolen bases, and scored three runs. Furthermore, he made some incredible defensive plays at shortstop, showing the world why he won a Platinum Glove last season. 

That said, the biggest development for Witt in the WBC was not only him hitting leadoff, but succeeding in the spot, especially when it came to plate discipline.

Witt’s Performance at Leadoff in the WBC

In his six-game sample in the World Baseball Classic as the USA leadoff hitter, Witt had six walks to only five strikeouts. That is good for a BB/K ratio of 1.20, which is 0.84 points higher than his career BB/K ratio. While he didn’t get as many hits as he would’ve liked (six), he also had a .400 OBP, which was tied for third-best on the USA roster with Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony. 

Furthermore, as the USA leadoff hitter, his Statcast percentiles were similar to those Royals fans saw from Witt in 2024 and 2025, as seen below via TJ Stats. 

Witt posted only a .309 wOBA, ranking in the 36th percentile. However, he had a .434 xwOBA, ranking in the 89th percentile. In terms of exit velocity, barrel, and hard-hit rates, Witt did with Team USA what he has done with the Royals. His average EV ranked in the 95th percentile, his barrel rate ranked in the 91st percentile, and his hard-hit rate ranked in the 88th percentile. 

The 25-year-old shortstop has always shown an ability to hit the ball hard at the Major League level. That said, he has historically had an over-eager approach. Last year, not only was his BB/K ratio 0.39, but he also ranked in the 32nd percentile in O-Swing% (30.6%) and 25th percentile in BB% (6.0%). Below is his complete Statcast profile from 2025 via TJ Stats.

His 2025 Statcast profile and WBC-specific one don’t look all that different at the top of each summary. However, here are some key categorical differences.

40% Swing% in WBC to 51.1% Swing% in 2025.

18.2% BB% in WBC to 6.0% BB% in 2025.

27.2% O-Swing% in WBC to 30.6% O-Swing% in 2025.

17.9% Whiff% in WBC to 23.8% Whiff% in 2025.

Of course, this is a 33-plate-appearance sample to a 687-plate-appearance one. Thus, a grain of salt should be taken here, given Witt’s major improvement in those four categories.

Nonetheless, if Witt can carry over this approach somewhat to the regular season, he would be the Royals’ best leadoff candidate in 2026 and beyond.

Witt’s Previous Leadoff Struggles and Other Options

The only issue with Witt being the Royals’ leadoff hitter on Opening Day is that he doesn’t have a great track record at the top of the order.

According to Fangraphs splits, in 201 plate appearances at leadoff, he has a .204 batting average, a 0.20 BB/K ratio, a .620 OPS, and 62 wRC+. Leadoff has been his worst spot in the batting order by a significant margin. Except for fifth, which he has only 8 plate appearances, the next-lowest batting-order wRC+ is third at 119. 

For context, he has accumulated 2,154 plate appearances in the second spot in the batting order, which is the most of any spot for Witt. He has a 0.40 BB/K ratio, .301 average, .870 OPS, and 136 wRC+ in that second spot in the order. 

Thus, manager Matt Quatraro has no reason to move Witt, especially since he has been so good at the No. 2 spot. However, the leadoff spot has been a thorn in the Royals’ side, especially in Quatraro’s tenure as manager.

Since 2023, Royals leadoff hitters have posted an 82 wRC+, ranking 28th in baseball, according to Fangraphs. Thus, Kansas City doesn’t have a great history in this spot, despite GM JJ Picollo’s best efforts. 

The Royals acquired Jonathan India from Cincinnati to handle leadoff duties last year, but he had a down season in his first year in Kansas City. He posted an 89 wRC+ and .669 OPS in 567 plate appearances last season. That isn’t exactly the profile of a player getting everyday at-bats at the top of the lineup. He has had a better spring and continues to be solid in the chase and walk categories, but his lack of exit velocity and barrel ability make him a one-dimensional option.

Isaac Collins was acquired by the Royals this offseason, and he fits the disciplined approach that Kansas City wants at the top of the lineup. As a rookie in Milwaukee last year, he posted a .368 OBP and 122 wRC+ in 441 plate appearances with the Brewers. However, he hasn’t been the most healthy this spring, and his Cactus League Statcast percentiles have been meager beyond exit velocity and O-Swing%, as illustrated below.

The last option could be Garcia, who may be one of the hottest players in baseball right now, especially after his WBC MVP run with Team Venezuela. 

However, much like Witt, Garcia doesn’t have a great history at leadoff. 

In 885 career plate appearances at leadoff, Garcia has slashed .257/.308/.357 with a .665 OPS and 83 wRC+. He has a 0.40 BB/K ratio at leadoff, but his power has been paltry, as evidenced by his .100 ISO. 

For comparison, let’s see how Garcia has performed in the No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 spots in the batting order in his career with the Royals.

No. 2 (31 PA): 1.25 BB/K ratio, .320 average, .160 ISO, and 157 wRC+

No. 3 (99 PA): 0.89 BB/K ratio, .286 average, .198 ISO, and 127 wRC+

No. 4 (285 PA): 0.71 BB/K ratio, .260 average, .143 ISO, and 100 wRC+

No. 5 (184 PA): 0.52 BB/K ratio, .293 average, .138 ISO, and 119 wRC+

Thus, Garcia may be better served in run-driving situations in the batting order (No. 2-5) than run-scoring ones (leadoff). Additionally, the 26-year-old Venezuelan has incredible plate discipline, but he has strong, hard-hit contact ability that could be more valuable in the 2nd through 5th spots in the batting order, as illustrated in his TJ Stats summary this spring.

Thus, the Royals certainly have a dilemma at the leadoff spot, which is important to address to improve their offense in 2026 (they ranked 26th in runs scored last year). There are certainly options available, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Quatraro mix up the leadoff hitter from time to time, depending on the pitching matchups.

That said, Witt is the Royals’ best hitter, and a big year from him will be key to the Royals’ postseason chances. It would make sense to ensure he gets as many plate appearances as possible in a given season.

The main way to do that? Put him at leadoff on Opening Day in 2026 and keep him there for the remainder of the season.