Sep 20, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) runs to first base during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images William Purnell-Imagn Images

Bobby Witt Jr. Sounds Alarm On Key Reason For Royals' 2025 Regression

Originally posted on Kansas City Royals on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 11:18 AM ET

As they watch the final games of the postseason unfold, the Kansas City Royals still have plenty of self-reflection to do before running it back in 2026.

The Royals only lost four more games than they did a year ago, but given the weight of expectations, it felt like a lot more. They fell out of the playoff race in mid-September, and all year, the offense lagged a long way behind the excellent pitching staff.

Many will rightfully point to the team's lack of home run power as a cause for concern about the Royals moving forward. But the issues went deeper, as Kansas City's superstar recently acknowledged.

Bobby Witt Jr. says Royals were 'fearful' on bases

In a Tuesday article, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. spoke about the team's regression on the basepaths from a season ago, saying the team got away from its aggressive identity in the running game, which likely cost them a few games.

“As a team, we’ve got to have the confidence to run,” Witt said, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “We’ve got to get back to Royals baseball. We’ve got to be the gritty team.

"We’re not going to hit a lot of home runs. But we do have to go out there and play fundamental baseball. Get the extra 90 when they give it to you. Go out there and be fearless. At times, I think we were a little fearful instead of being fearless.”

Witt actually increased his stolen base output from a year ago, with 38 thefts compared to 31. But his teammates didn't pick up the slack, as Kansas City went 111-for-153 (72.5%) on stolen base attempts, compared to 134-for-165 (81.2%) in 2024.

Whatever Witt's doing is working, even if he won't deflect the blame to his teammates. He was only caught nine times this year, compared to 12 a year ago.

Speedy teammates like Maikel Garcia and Kyle Isbel need to get with the program here, and perhaps the Royals will be able to make up for some of their power-hitting shortcomings. Speedster Tyler Tolbert should play more of an active role next season, too.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Royals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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