So far, so good: No signs of a jinx for KC Royals star Bobby Witt Jr.

Considering the history of huge new baseball contracts, they might be surprised, but few will be truly shocked, if KC Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. turns out to be less productive than he was last season. He wouldn't be the first big baseball star to struggle immediately after signing the kind of mega-deal he did over the winter.

Call it a jinx, if you will, or something else if you choose; for whatever reason, many big leaguers haven't fared well in the first season after landing big contract extensions.

But Witt? So far, so good. The season is almost as young as young can be, but nothing about it suggests his new arrangement with the Royals will sour his performance.
And the situation he faced in the bottom of the seventh inning during Kansas City's 11-0 Sunday romp over Minnesota exemplifies just how good he's been.

Witt came to the plate with a chance to cap off a wonderful day for the Royals — a double off Cole Sands, the Twins' fourth pitcher of the game, would give Witt his first career cycle, and the Royals' first since George Brett hit for one in 1990.

The task didn't seem to great for Witt, who'd already homered, tripled, and singled, and he came into the game having doubled three times in the club's first two games. Unfortunately, though, Sands struck Witt out, and the huge lead Kansas City owned meant he didn't get another chance to complete that cycle.

Bobby Witt Jr. is on fire for the KC Royals

Witt, Kansas City's Player of the Year last year and the season before, finished Easter Sunday's contest 3-for-5 with one RBI. He doubled and walked in the club's Opening Day loss to Minnesota Thursday, and 2-for-3 with a double, single, and another walk against the Twins Saturday.

That means the third-year Royal is slashing .545/.615/1.273 through the campaign's first series, a considerable improvement over the .000/.167/.000 line he had after Kansas City's initial three games last year. It's concededly a small sample size, but that Witt shows absolutely no signs of a post-mega-deal slump or letdown is a good sign for a club striving to turn its fortunes around.

Witt's Sunday performance alone would have been enough offensively to give the Royals their first victory of the season, but Salvador Perez took care of that matter with his first-inning homer. Maikel García, Kyle Isbel, and Nelson Velázquez all also homered. And starting pitcher Brady Singer, upon whom much is riding this year, gave the Royals their third quality start in as many games by throwing seven scoreless innings and striking out 10 before relievers Matt Sauer and Jordan Lyles completed the shutout.

In the end, though, Witt's quest for the cycle highlighted Kansas City's day, and has, at least for now, eased any concerns that whatever has haunted other players who've received big multi-year contracts might pay Witt a visit.

Witt and the Royals now head for Baltimore for a three-game Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday series with the Orioles.

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