Witt Jr. goes No. 2 in MLB Draft

Photo: Bobby Witt Jr. (Perfect Game)

The Kansas City Royals on Monday night selected Texas high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft. The Baltimore Orioles, as expected, used the No. 1 overall pick on Oregon State switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschman.

PG has ranked Witt, a  2018 PG All-American, the No. 1 overall national prospect in the class of 2019 since his freshman year in high school. A veteran of 16 PG events over the last three years, Witt was named to the all-tournament team at the PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., three times (2016-18). He received Top Prospect List recognition at the PG Underclass All-American Games (twice, 2016-17), the PG Junior National Showcase (2017) and the PG National Showcase (2018).

He always carried the weight of the No. 1 national ranking with pride and humility.

“I feel like I use it more for motivation than anything because there’s a target on me,” Witt told PG at last year’s National Showcase in St. Petersburg, Fla. “I want to keep that spot and just maintain it, and just keep working on everything every part of my game.”

Witt received the prestigious Jackie Robinson Award in August, an award that goes out annually to the Perfect Game National High School Player of the Year.

This past weekend, he helped the PG No. 6-ranked Heritage Panthers to the Texas state tournament for the first time in school history. PG asked Heritage head coach Alan McDougal about his thoughts on Witt during a conversation earlier this spring.

“When people that are watching him – which most of the kids are – see him compete at that (level) it’s very easy for me as a coach to say, ‘Look at what this guy’s doing,’” McDougal said. “Of all the ones that are out here he could take a backseat on a lot of this stuff, but not only does he not do that but he wants to get to the front of the line.”

After Witt was select second overall a trio of PG All-Americans went with picks 5-7 in outfielder Riley Greene, shortstop CJ Abrams and lefthander Nick Lodolo. Greene and Abrams both played with Witt in the 2018 Classic while Lodolo was a participant in 2015.

Six other Perfect Game All-American Classic participants were selected in the first round and 21 total PG All-Americans were taken on the first day of the 2019 MLB Draft (the top two rounds).

Of the 41 picks in the first round, which includes the compensatory selections, 35 had previously attended a Perfect Game event. Of the 78 total picks on the first day of the draft 70 had previously attended a Perfect Game event.

Listed below are all of the PG All-American players that were selected on the first day of the draft.