Royals’ top prospect recorded ridiculous bat speed but says it comes with a caveat
Shortstop Bobby Witt, Jr., is the Royals’ top prospect in the franchise’s pipeline, and he turned heads during the team’s summer camp before the start of the 2020 season.
“He just keeps doing things to wow us,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said in July.
Witt, who was the second overall pick in the 2019 draft, also wowed people on social media this week for his bat speed.
Trainer Bobby Stroupe shared this video that showed Witt’s bat moved 141 mph on a swing:
Obviously, Witt won’t be able to step up when in the batting box, but 141 mph is nothing to sneeze at.
Driveline Baseball shared this about the importance of bat speed: “When controlling for bat and ball type, weight, and speed, it is clear that moving the bat faster is the only way to produce a higher exit velocity.
“Note that we are discussing exit velocity and not distance traveled. The factors impacting the ball after contact are gravity, atmospheric conditions, and spin. With the exception of playing at extreme altitudes, these environmental aspects do not significantly impact the bat-to-ball collision that relates to the exit velocity of the batted ball.”
After Bryson Stott, a Phillies minor-leaguer quote tweeted the video, Witt noted something important. He needs to, you know, actually hit the ball, too.
It’s also worth noting Witt will turn 21 on June 14.
