CROWN

Team Panama (Johan Camargo, Luis Barroso). Additionally, Tony Medina, the club’s Minor League/Latin America Medical Assistant Coordinator, will represent the Dominican Republic as a member of their training staff, and Luis Ortiz, an International Scouting Supervisor for the Royals, is Team Panama’s Manager for the tournament.

“I think it’s healthy for the game,” said Royals Executive Vice President and General Manager J.J. Picollo at the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, Calif., in December. “It’s interesting for fans. I think the players enjoy it. They like playing for their home country, especially Venezuela, the Dominican, U.S., Japan.”

For Witt Jr., 22, who will be one of the youngest in the entire tournament, he can’t help but show his excitement over the chance to represent his country on the national stage. Yet, he is well aware of the amazing opportunity facing him over the next two months.

“Oh, it’s going to be a blast,” Witt Jr. told reporters at Royals Rally. “I’m really privileged to be a part of the team. I’m just trying to figure out my role, and just being around them. I’m just going to take it all in and learn from (the Major League veterans on the roster) and see their routine. I think that’s the biggest thing, is just learning.”

One of those veterans on the Team USA roster that Witt Jr. will learn from is three-time MVP and 10-time All-Star outfielder Mike Trout, who is also the Team Captain for the United States. Speaking with media via Zoom in January, Trout shared an eagerness to work alongside the Royals phenom.

"(Witt Jr.)'s unbelievable," Trout said. "He's a stud. He's going to be really good in this league for a long time. I think it's great for the game to have the young stars come in, to be with the veteran guys."

Tony Reagins, the General Manager for Team USA, spoke to former Kansas City Star reporter Lynn Worthy at the Winter Meetings in December, and he said the chance for guys like Witt Jr. and Singer to work alongside some of the best active players in the world, as well as the coaching staff that includes Hall of Famer and 13-time All-Star Ken Griffey Jr. as their hitting coach, could be extremely impactful.

“I think it could propel their game, just being around guys like Trout or Griffey Jr. as a hitting coach or Andy Pettitte as a pitching coach or Dave Righetti as a bullpen coach,” Reagins said. “Just being around guys like Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt. Having those type of guys and having a young guy be around that, even if that young guy doesn’t play a lot, the experience and the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the game that’s ever done it — I think it could propel their careers.”

Additional quotes provided by MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers.

A new era has arrived in Kansas City.

The next generation has stepped onto the scene and electric energy is starting to bubble up inside the Royals clubhouse.

A young core of 21 rookies led the charge in 2022, including 13 players who made their Major League debuts. The 21 newcomers tied for the 3rd most rookies to play in a single season in franchise history.

Oddly enough, six other teams featured more rookies in 2022, however Royals rookies still led the league in most offensive categories, including doubles (109), triples (22), home runs (76) and RBI (289), all of which marked new club records.

Those 21 players seemingly made frequent headlines last season, and in an unusual flipping of the script, it was the rookies who made an impression on the veterans.

Jr., the Royals 1st round selection in the 2019 Draft. Witt Jr. made his presence felt from the moment he stepped up to the plate on Opening Day, an afternoon in which he delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the 8th inning to mark his first career hit and RBI.