Could Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. be the first player in decades to hit .400 … at home?

By C. Trent Rosecrans, Stephen J. Nesbitt and Sam Blum

One night time earlier this summer season at Kauffman Stadium, Bobby Witt Jr. got here to bat within the ninth inning with one on, one out and his Kansas Metropolis Royals down a run. Then he roped a game-tying triple for his third hit of the sport, raced dwelling on a walk-off grounder and solely stopped operating to conduct an on-field interview. Nonetheless catching his breath, Witt grinned on the dwelling crowd chanting his identify and mentioned, “What do y’all suppose? Fairly enjoyable?”

Witt, the 24-year-old All-Star shortstop, is having a sensational season. He leads the majors with a .352 batting common, charges as each the quickest man and finest defender within the recreation, joins fellow American League MVP front-runner Aaron Choose as the one gamers above 8 WAR this season, and has began at shortstop and batted second in each Royals recreation this season.

On prime of all that, Witt has been traditionally good in Kansas Metropolis: he’s on observe to be the primary main leaguer in 20 years to bat .400 at dwelling. After going 3-for-5 Tuesday night time, Witt is hitting .405 in 281 plate appearances at Kauffman Stadium this season.

Ted Williams batted above .400 at Fenway Park in 1941, 1951 and 1957. Since then, solely 9 hitters — 4 from the pre-humidor days in Colorado — have hit .400 in not less than 275 plate appearances at dwelling: Joe Cunningham, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett, Andrés Galarraga, Eric Younger Sr., Larry Walker, Jeff Cirillo and Barry Bonds.

Witt might quickly be a part of that quick listing.

“He’s as full a participant as you can ever think about,” Boggs, who twice batted higher than .400 at Fenway Park, mentioned by telephone this week.

“Plus energy and uber pace,” Cirillo mentioned.

“He’s turn out to be a extremely nice participant,” Carew mentioned, “in a extremely quick time.”

Kansas Metropolis’s spacious Kauffman Stadium suppresses dwelling runs however aids in base hits. (Jamie Squire / Getty Pictures)

The ballpark itself is a consider Witt’s chase of .400, simply because it was with Boggs and Fenway’s Inexperienced Monster, with Puckett and the Metrodome’s AstroTurf, and with the mile-high Rockies. Kauffman Stadium has the second-largest outfield within the majors, behind Coors Subject, suppressing dwelling runs however giving additional house for singles, doubles and triples. The ballpark helps to maximise the bat-to-ball ability and pace that contribute to Witt’s excessive common, but it surely additionally mutes his home-run output.

In Cincinnati on Friday, Royals infielder Michael Massey guessed that if Witt performed each recreation on the Nice American Ball Park launching pad, he’d have 15 extra homers. Later that night time, Witt smashed his twenty fifth homer this season, a second-deck blast that might’ve been out of any main league park. Massey was extremely shut. Witt’s projected dwelling run complete in Cincinnati — 39 — would do wonders for his MVP case.

“I’d take Bobby in any ballpark,” Royals supervisor Matt Quatraro mentioned.

However Kansas Metropolis is dwelling. Witt will take the hits nonetheless they arrive. He mentioned his sole focus is having the identical routine and preparation, dwelling or away. “If I’ve that, then I really feel like I’m going to be the identical man each night time.”

Witt’s batting common is 106 factors higher at dwelling than on the street this season. That’s in keeping with the Puckett, Boggs and Bonds dwelling/street splits, and much much less of a differential than the .400-hitting Rockies had. Gamers are extra comfy at dwelling. (There’s a motive just one participant up to now 75 years has hit .400 on the street: Ichiro Suzuki had a .405 street cut up in 2004.)

“While you’re at dwelling and hitting effectively, all the pieces is extra to perfection,” Eric Younger Sr. mentioned. “You’ve obtained your mattress, dwelling cooking. It’s great.”

Boggs didn’t understand till this week he’d ever hit .400 at dwelling. However he wasn’t stunned. “I sorta knew it was extraordinarily exhausting to get me out at Fenway Park,” he mentioned. Boggs has the very best profession batting common at Fenway: .369. He obtained there by being “completely consumed” with the left-field wall.

“If the wind is blowing out, I at all times had the boldness that I used to be going to get two hits that day,” he mentioned.

Cirillo didn’t know he’d hit .400 at dwelling, both. However he does bear in mind getting scorching within the final sequence at Coors Subject in 2000.

“Glad I obtained a pair hits so we might have a dialog,” he mentioned.

Jeff Cirillo, proven right here in 2001, liked hitting in Colorado, for apparent causes. (Tom Hauck / Allsport)

Cirillo was the fourth Rockies hitter to bat .400 in Colorado in the course of the franchise’s first decade, and he definitely acknowledged that it wasn’t all nice reflexes and batted-ball luck.

“We did it in Coors Subject,” he mentioned. “There is perhaps somewhat little bit of an asterisk to that one. What (Witt) is doing is totally unbelievable.”

Larry Walker hit .418 in 1998, .461 in 1999 and .406 in 2001. A humidor was put in in 2002 to tamp down offense. No Rockies hitter has hit .400 at dwelling since that change, although Todd Helton got here shut — .391 in 2003.

On his technique to the clubhouse earlier than video games in Colorado, Cirillo would stroll throughout the immense Coors outfield. It felt to him like a links-style golf course, the place you hit onto sprawling fairways.

“In case you used the center of the sphere,” he mentioned, “you have been by no means actually in a hunch.”

Kauffman Stadium by no means felt like that. Cirillo batted .234 over 32 street video games in Kansas Metropolis. “It was at all times actually scorching, so your legs felt mushy within the field,” he mentioned. He finds Witt’s feat outstanding, particularly with the rate in in the present day’s recreation and the way expertise may also help expose hitters’ flaws.

Boggs liked hitting in Kansas Metropolis — not due to the scale, however due to the AstroTurf that was there till 1994. Not solely did Boggs hit .336 at Kauffman Stadium, however that was the place he legged out his solely inside-the-park dwelling run.

“It was like enjoying on a pool desk,” Boggs mentioned. “In case you hit a ball two or three steps to an infielder’s left or proper it was via. That’s how briskly it was.” However it’s a grass area now, and even with the turf nobody hit .400 at Kauffman. When Corridor of Famer George Brett batted .390 in 1980, he “solely” hit .392 at dwelling.

In the summertime of 1977, Rod Carew wished to be left alone. He had a .411 general batting common at first of July, and reporters have been flocking to Minneapolis and the Twins’ street cities to speak to him. Carew had so many writers name his resort rooms that he began altering the identify on his reservation. He requested writers to reach additional early on the ballpark in the event that they wished an interview. Once they balked, he had Twins supervisor Gene Mauch reiterate the request.

“I didn’t wish to take that .400 factor out on the sphere,” Carew mentioned.

At one level, Carew stopped speaking to reporters altogether. However the consideration was unimaginable to keep away from. Carew’s batting common slid to .374 by Aug. 25, and despite the fact that he hit .441 the remainder of the way in which he nonetheless fell 12 factors wanting a .400 season. He did, nonetheless, hit .401 at dwelling.

Carew doesn’t thoughts reporters asking anymore. He likes Witt, who was born 15 years after Carew’s final main league recreation. The Corridor of Famer has seen just a few stars come together with hitting types that remind Carew of himself, guys like Brett, Suzuki and now Witt. They’ve the pace to leg out infield singles. They sit on fastballs but alter to do injury on off-speed stuff.

Rod Carew suggestions his cap at followers after a double put his batting common at .400 in June of 1977. (AP Photograph / JM)

There aren’t too many reporters asking Witt about hitting .400, however all the identical he doesn’t have loads to say. “You’ve obtained to only exit and put good at-bats,” he mentioned, “and no matter else occurs, occurs.” The numbers communicate for themselves, and so they say Witt’s season-long dwelling scorching streak is something however smoke and mirrors. He’s not hitting bloops and bleeders. He’s barreling balls and discovering gaps.

Witt has had 17 three-hit video games in Kansas Metropolis this season, together with a stretch in July of six of seven dwelling video games. As we speak it’s as exhausting to hit for common because it has been since 1968. The league-wide batting common is .244; for dwelling groups it’s .245; at Kauffman Stadium it’s .259. Witt is in one other stratosphere.

Younger, like a handful of different .400-at-home hitters, performed in opposition to Witt’s dad, the pitcher Bobby Witt, throughout his profession. He noticed Bobby Jr. develop up across the recreation and mature right into a celebrity.

“He’s on a unique stage mentally than a variety of youngsters in his class,” Younger mentioned. “That’s particular as a result of he’s in a position to see and play and carry out in a method somewhat quicker than the opposite guys.”

In a three-hit street recreation on Friday, Witt turned the third Royals participant with 25 homers and 25 steals in consecutive seasons, becoming a member of Carlos Beltrán and Bo Jackson.

“It’s unbelievable,” not too long ago acquired Royals starter Michael Lorenzen mentioned. “You see it on MLB Community each night time and also you type of get sick of it, to be sincere, as a result of he’s on it each night time along with his highlights. Then enjoying with him, it’s the actual deal. There aren’t many individuals you’ll be able to say that about. You possibly can say that about Bobby. It’s the actual deal.”

Witt is on tempo for 11.6 fWAR, greater than any shortstop in historical past apart from 1908 Honus Wagner (11.8). Because the Royals bounce again from a 106-loss season to contend for an AL Central crown, their face-of-the-franchise shortstop is placing on present after present for the house crowd.

What do y’all suppose? Fairly enjoyable?

(Prime picture of Witt: Ed Zurga / Getty Pictures)