The Royals are incredibly lucky to have Bobby Witt Jr.

Not only does he boast superstar talent, but he brings an enthusiasm for the sport that makes watching him more fun

Baseball is in the middle of its annual mid-season break so the All-Stars can take a moment to shine, but perhaps none of them will shine brighter than Bobby Witt Jr. During last night’s Home Run Derby, Bobby shone in a way that I can’t remember any Royal shining since at least when George Brett played for the team, more than three decades ago.

Part of following sports in the 21st century is developing parasocial relationships with the athletes. A parasocial relationship* is a one-way bond that forms when someone puts a lot of time and energy into a “relationship” with another person (or fictional character) who is wholly unaware of their existence. Parasocial relationships have been a part of humanity for centuries if not millennia, but social media has made them easier than ever to form.

*I want to be clear, that I don’t think there is anything bad or unhealthy about parasocial relationships - I’m about to talk about some of mine after all - but you have to be careful how much control you allow them to have over your life. Never forget that the other person really doesn’t have a clue you exist and may not even be who you imagined they were.

I have a confession to make. Up until Monday night, I was happy to root for Bobby Witt Jr. because he has superstar-level talent and he plays for my favorite team. But I wasn’t convinced that I actually liked him. When it comes to parasocial relationships with athletes, there are two main avenues for forming them: the players should be good (and their team, if one exists, must be good) or the players can seem to have fun. You can develop a parasocial relationship based on either of those things, but the players who enjoy both of them are the ones that stick in the memory. David DeJesus was well-liked when he played for Kansas City but almost no one ever thinks of him now because none of his teams were good. Players like George Brett and Salvador Perez will be remembered for decades because they had big personalities, they were/are talented players, and their teams enjoyed success. Bobby Witt Jr. is now well on his way to joining them.

There’s no question that Bobby Witt Jr. is talented and has been successful this year. The team around him has also drastically improved. And, in retrospect, he has started to express his personality more this year. “The boys are playing some ball” is a deceptively simple slogan, but seemingly delivered with so much sincerity that it was instantly beloved by fans and team alike.

On Monday night, however, he took things to a whole new level.

Here’s the thing, Bobby Witt Jr. didn’t just enjoy more success in a Home Run Derby than any Royal had before him, he also had more fun than anyone else on that field. He had a dazzling bright smile the entire night. As soon as he had officially lost he went straight to celebrate Teoscar Hernández’s victory with him. He didn’t just put up an incredibly strong showing in a nationally televised, individual-focused competition - he did so with the pure joy of playing a game writ large on his face for everyone to see.

Of course, most of us will never know what these guys are actually like. But that doesn’t matter; what matters is how we feel they are like. And if you watched Bobby Witt Jr. in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, I don’t think he gave you any choice but to feel joy with him as he seemed to have the time of his life, displaying the exact emotions many of us would feel if we suddenly found ourselves walking out of shadows into a spotlight with cameras pointed at us while Michael Buffer bellowed our names.

Watching Bobby try his hardest and have the most fun at an event that didn’t even matter made it clear that this kid loves competing and he loves baseball and he’s as positively baffled as he could be that this is his life. Until now, I have rejected the tie that many people tried to make between Bobby Witt Jr. and Patrick Mahomes II. Mahomes is more than just an incredibly talented child of a major league pitcher, he has a huge amount of charisma that makes watching him play not just awe-inspiring, but especially fun. On Monday night, Bobby Witt Jr. showed a different, but similarly high level of charisma and I can no longer resist those comparisons.

The country got a taste of what Bobby and the Royals can bring to the sport on a national stage in the Home Run Derby. I am now desperate for the Royals to reach the playoffs. JJ Picollo needs to do whatever he can to make that happen. If the team can make the postseason and Bobby can lead them to some victories the same way he competed in that Derby, the Royals could become a truly big deal in the baseball world the same way they were in the 70s and 80s. That’s the kind of prestige and attention that could make the Royals a desirable free-agent destination and bring in additional revenues that help the team keep and add stars to continue winning into the future.

Plus, after watching Bobby drink in the Derby experience, I can only imagine how much fun it would be to watch him experience Kauffman in the playoffs.