3 American League Central teams made the postseason in 2024, and all 3 of them are appearing in the American League Division Series.
Both the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers swept their wild-card series, and they both appeared as underdogs in the series.
The Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was a big reason for them advancing as he had 3 hits in 9 at-bats in the series with 2 runs batted in.
Witt is appearing in the first postseason of his career, but his 2 favorite players to watch growing up have plenty of postseason experience.
According to Jon Morosi on ‘X,’ Witt reveals that Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia were his favorite players to watch as a kid.
Bobby Witt Jr.’s favorite players growing up were Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia.
Witt watched some Jeter postseason highlights last night.
Tomorrow, he plays in the Bronx during the postseason for the 1st time.
“Just taking it all in,” Witt said, smiling. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 4, 2024
Ironically, his 2 favorite players were on the 2 teams that most likely have the biggest rivalry in baseball.
Pedroia played for the Boston Red Sox and appeared in 51 postseason games while Jeter played for the New York Yankees and appeared in 158 postseason games.
Jeter is a legendary Yankees shortstop and plays the same position as Witt does.
Saturday, Witt will play in Yankee Stadium during the postseason for the first time, and he explains that he’s just taking everything in before the series starts.
The Royals only scored 3 runs in their 2-0 series win over the Orioles, and Witt was responsible for 2 of them as he had 2 runs batted in.
Witt has been the face of this Royals team in 2024, and he has started his first career postseason off hot.
The Royals will look to their star to keep things going as the American League Division Series begins.
NEXT: Royals Manager Reveals Thoughts On Facing Yankees