Best known for his heroics on the gridiron, Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes also is a huge baseball fan.
After reporting for Chiefs' training camp on Tuesday, Mahomes—a part owner of the Kansas City Royals—took some time Tuesday to give star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. some flowers.
The 24-year-old Witt made his MLB Home Run Derby debut Monday night at Globe Life Field and finished runner-up to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez, losing by one home run in the final round.
"I was very nervous, man," Mahomes said of watching Witt in the contest. "I was excited for the world to see his talent. We've seen it the last few years here—he's a tremendous talent, one of the best players in MLB."
Patrick Mahomes on watching Bobby Witt Jr. in the Home Run Derby:
— Jared Koller (@JaredKCTV5) July 16, 2024
"I was excited for the world to see his talent, cause he's one of the best players in MLB... I'm excited for the 2nd half and to see the #Royals make a playoff push. These young guys are ready for it. "@KCTV5 pic.twitter.com/hEi7OPj9CL
Witt, the No. 2 pick by Kansas City in the 2019 MLB draft, debuted in 2022 and broke out as a budding star in '23. Now in his third season, Witt looks like he'll be one of the best players in baseball for a long time. He batted .323/.369/.558 and collected the most total hits (125) in MLB during the first half of the 2024 season, which earned him his first All-Star Game appearance this summer.
Witt and the Royals will resume play Friday with a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. Through 97 games, the Royals are 52–45, seven games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and two games behind the Boston Red Sox for the final AL wild-card spot.
"I'm excited for the second half of the season and seeing the Royals making a push at trying to get into the playoffs and see what they can do," Mahomes said. "It's been a long time building, and these young guys are ready for it."
Mahomes grew up playing baseball in Texas and was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th round of the 2024 MLB draft. His father, Pat Mahomes, pitched 11 seasons in the big leagues from 1992 to 2003, mostly as a reliever.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Patrick Mahomes Hypes Up Royals Star Bobby Witt Jr. Ahead of MLB All-Star Game.
