At one time or another, Kansas City Royals fans have probably asked a simple question: why can’t our team get a star rookie right away? Before the season, there were three clear top prospects in baseball: Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez, Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman, and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. There were arguments to made for all three, and the future looked bright for all three.
And yet, with only September left, it is Royals fans who are on the outside looking in. Rodriguez is a superstar already, winner of the Home Run Derby and the recipient of one of the potentially most lucrative contracts in baseball history; he is a shoo-in for American League Rookie of the Year.