KC Royals' Triple-A club celebrates the holidays with Bobby Witt Jr. throwback

Considering his seemingly endless list of achievements and records, it can be easy to forget that Bobby Witt Jr. has actually only played three seasons in the majors. The superstar shortstop was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the second overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft and rose through the ranks quickly to make his big-league debut on April 7, 2022 — but the Omaha Storm Chasers very clearly remember the brief time he wore their uniform.

On December 24, the Storm Chasers — Kansas City's Triple-A affiliate — posted a throwback photo of Witt to their social media, adding the repeating line "We Witt you a Merry Christmas" as a playful caption for the holidays. In the photo, a young-looking Witt is wearing the Storm Chasers' uniform and batting helmet, and appears to be clapping during a game.

Bobby Witt Jr.'s rise through the KC Royals' minor league affiliates

Witt went into the 2019 MLB Draft labelled by scouts as the "best high school shortstop prospect in a generation," and after selecting him in the first round with the second overall pick, the Royals signed the then-18-year-old to a $7.79 million deal on June 12. He made his professional debut with the organization's Rookie-level affiliate just over two weeks later, going 3-for-6 with an RBI and stolen base. In 180 plate appearances spread over two months, Witt slashed .262/.317/.354 during 2019, with one home run and 27 RBI.

When the 2020 MiLB season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Witt was part of the Royals' 60-player alternate site training, where he impressed coaches enough to be promoted to the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals to start 2021. After being selected to the All-Star Futures Game in June, the then-20-year-old shortstop moved up to Triple-A in July, joining the Storm Chasers for the rest of the 2021 season.

Witt appeared in 62 games for Omaha in 2021, posting a .285/.352/.581 line with 17 home runs and 46 RBI in 285 plate appearances. After winning both the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award and the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year Award for his work, Witt received an invite to the Royals' 2022 spring training camp, where he quickly earned a spot on Kansas City's Opening Day roster.

Less than three years (including one cancelled season) after being drafted out of high school, Witt made his major league debut on April 7, 2022, smashing an eighth-inning double for the game-winning hit to quickly setting the tone for his career in MLB. After a month as the Royals' third baseman, he moved to his natural position at shortstop after Adalberto Mondesi was injured in mid-May — and the rest is history.