When Bobby Witt Jr. was approached about doing the 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby during All-Star week and got the approval he wanted from his teammates, coaches and trainers to go for it, he set to work figuring out who should be his Derby pitcher.

Well, how about his dad, Bobby Witt, owner of a 4.83 ERA across 16 big league seasons? It was ¡°definitely¡± a consideration, the younger Witt said, before taking a jab at his dad.

¡°His arm is hanging after pitching 16 years in the big leagues,¡± Witt Jr. said.

¡°I don¡¯t even know what it would look like,¡± Witt Sr. said, laughing. ¡°I tell people all the time: I don¡¯t think I could get a speeding ticket in a school zone with my fastball right now, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be much help.¡±

The good news is that Witt Jr. has no shortage of big leaguers in his family he could turn to for help. All three of his older sisters married baseball players, and Witt went with James Russell, a lefty who pitched six seasons with the Cubs and is the son of former Rangers reliever Jeff Russell.

¡°He¡¯s a very relaxed person,¡± Witt Sr. said of Russell. ¡°He doesn¡¯t really stress out a lot. He¡¯s a strike-thrower. Left-handed. And he throws three-quarters. He¡¯ll be great at it.¡±

All-Star week is a true family affair for the Witts this year, with Witt Jr. participating in his first Home Run Derby on Monday and his first All-Star Game on Tuesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington -- just 30 minutes south of his hometown of Colleyville, Texas. Witt is one of four Royals who were named All-Stars, including Salvador Perez, Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans.

Not only will the 24-year-old Witt get to represent the Royals on a national stage as a rising superstar, but he¡¯ll do it with tons of family and friends there to support him, which means just as much as making his All-Star debut. He and his parents are doing their best to accommodate as many ticket requests as possible, so the Witts will have a large contingent in the stands this week.

¡°It¡¯s a dream come true, really,¡± Witt Jr. said. ¡°It¡¯s just one of those things you work for, and I¡¯m going to enjoy every moment and have a blast with it.¡±

¡°The entire family is so happy for him,¡± Witt Sr. added. ¡°We know how hard he works, and just to be able to do this in his hometown I think makes it more special.¡±

When the Royals signed Witt to a mega-extension that was by far the largest contract in team history and one that could make him a Royal through 2037 if all player and team options are exercised, they put their full confidence in the shortstop as their face of the franchise. It was clear from the moment they selected Witt with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft that they had a generational talent in their organization, and keeping him in Kansas City was a priority when majority owner John Sherman took over the franchise later in ¡®19.

Now Witt is an All-Star and playing like an AL MVP candidate.

He¡¯s slashing .323/.369/.558 with 16 home runs, 25 doubles and nine triples. His 5.2 bWAR (Baseball-Reference) ranks fourth behind Aaron Judge (6.4), Gunnar Henderson (6.3) and Shohei Ohtani (5.4), while Witt's 5.8 fWAR (Fangraphs) ranks third behind Judge (6.3) and Henderson (6.1). Witt¡¯s been an elite shortstop, with his six defensive runs tying him for third at the position while his 14 outs above average are tied for first with the Rangers' Marcus Semien among any position in baseball.

¡°I think it was a little bit of weight off his shoulders,¡± Witt Sr. said of the contract. ¡°He didn¡¯t have to think about it anymore. His mind is free to go out and play. But I think the thing that was next was the winning. That¡¯s why he did this deal. They told him they were going to make that commitment, and they went out to sign the guys that Junior saw they needed to improve the team. And it¡¯s been a lot of fun for him.

¡°Everybody loves to win, but this kid just has a passion for it.¡±

A spark offensively and defensively, Witt is a major reason the Royals have done a complete turnaround from their 106-loss season last year. For Witt, it¡¯s all about consistency, both individually and as a team.

He¡¯s ready for a fun-filled All-Star week, but he¡¯s looking forward to returning to Kansas City to get the second half of the season underway.

¡°There¡¯s a lot more ways I could improve,¡± Witt said. ¡°On the basepaths, defensively, even offensively. There¡¯s so much more to improve. Not only me, but this team, we have a lot more to prove to others that we¡¯re a special team.¡±