Team USA WBC manager raving about KC Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. bodes well for 2026

It's been hard not to watch Bobby Witt Jr. over the past few weeks and not wax poetic about him. The Kansas City Royals' superstar has been as hot as anyone at the plate, as he's currently in the midst of a sensational 19-game hitting streak.

In that span (since April 8), he's slashing .357/.420/.529 with 10 xBH, five steals and a 166 wRC+. This places him fourth in MLB in fWAR during those 19 games, trailing only the Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong, the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll.

For the season now, Witt is hitting .315 with an .858 OPS, two home runs, 11 RBI and a 138 wRC+.

While Royals fans have certainly taken notice on how their franchise shortstop has taken control of this offense, Witt is also getting the attention of some other key figures around the industry, including Team USA's manager for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Mark DeRosa.

Team USA WBC manager raving about KC Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. bodes well for 2026

Given the fact Witt just finished 2024 as the runner-up in American League MVP voting after 10.4 fWAR season, it's safe to say he's as close to a lock as anyone not named Aaron Judge for a spot on Team USA's roster for the upcoming WBC.

But after one of DeRosa's latest segments on the MLB Network on Monday morning, the feeling around his chances of making back-to-back U.S. WBC rosters got even better.

While breaking down his remarkable hit-streak, DeRosa raved about Witt's ability and what he means to today's game.

"If I'm starting a franchise today, give me number seven from the Kansas City Royals," DeRosa said. "He's showing up everyday to be the greatest player that this game's ever seen."

While Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani might have something to say about that statement, Witt has definitely put himself in the conversation with the way he's played in recent years.

Since the beginning of 2024, Witt's cumulative 11.9 fWAR trails only Judge's 13.9. He also sits in the top five in MLB during that span in wRC+ (4th at 163), AVG (2nd at .329) and OPS (3rd at .960).

Then there's the speed and defensive aspects to take into account with Witt as well. He's stolen 30 or more bags in each of his first three full big league seasons, and already has eight through his first 29 games of 2025. His sprint speed also places him amongst the game's elite, as he's sat in MLB's 100th percentile in sprint speed every season since debuting in 2022.

On defense, Witt's range (OAA) sat no lower than the 98th percentile of defenders in both 2023 and 2024, and he's already off to a 95th percentile start to 2025 at short.

"There's nothing that this guy can't do on the field," DeRosa said, echoing what the numbers have been telling us about Witt for years.

We'll see in the coming months if Witt will be named to the 2026 U.S. WBC team and become the second Royals player to commit to a team, after Seth Lugo committed to pitch for Puerto Rico earlier this month.