<\/p><\/div> Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) is awarded the Silver Slugger award before the home opener against the Minnesota Twins on Monday, March 30, 2026, in Kansas City.<\/p>\n ecuriel@kcstar.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n The visiting manager\u2019s office inside Kauffman Stadium has a small desk, a private bathroom and some seriously cool artwork on the walls.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That includes framed poster-size images of baseball cards. All are former managers, including Orioles legends Frank Robinson and Earl Weaver, the Twins\u2019 Tom Kelly, Joe Torre when he was with the Braves, and Toronto\u2019s Cito Gaston.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two regular-sized baseball cards sat on that desk Friday afternoon. Both featured Royals star Bobby Witt Jr.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It seems Brewers manager Pat Murphy\u2019s youngest sons, Jaxon and Austin, are big fans of Witt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy kids love him,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cMy 7-year old, the only thing he wants is there\u2019s an $800 picture of Bobby Witt in one of these card stores. A signed picture. (I say,) \u2018Jaxon, I can get you something signed by Bobby Witt.\u2019 No, I want that one.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jaxon may have to be content with a signed baseball card. Or possibly an autographed bat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Murphy is an admirer of Witt, too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTheir shortstop, for me, is the best example in baseball of a winning player,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cHe\u2019s some kind of special and it\u2019s partial, because I\u2019m close with his dad and I knew the kid when he was 9 years old.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut to see the way he represents our game, that\u2019s the guy you want to promote your game. He just does it right.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Witt\u2019s father played for the Diamondbacks in 2001 when Arizona\u2019s pitching coach was Bob Welch, a close friend of Murphy. That\u2019s how Murphy got to know Witt Jr.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Murphy said Witt was a tremendous athlete as a kid, in both baseball and football.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Brewers play the Royals in a three-game series this weekend, but after leaving Kansas City, Milwaukee will long be talking about Witt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Well, Witt the turtle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may remember Murphy from last year, when he produced a pancake from his pocket during an interview with Apple TV broadcaster Tricia Whitaker.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Murphy on Friday pulled out a turtle while talking with Whitaker.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a special guest that I wanted you to meet,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cThis is Bobby Jr., in honor of my friend Bobby Witt and his son, Bobby Jr. I didn\u2019t want to pull out pancakes so here we are. Now we\u2019ve got pocket turtles.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whitaker wrote on X that Murphy paid a Royals clubhouse attendant $500 to get the turtle. It was a, uh, gift for Whitaker, but she can\u2019t take it on a plane, so Bobby Jr. will remain with the Brewers players.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAfter the canceled game, the players were with it in the clubhouse, feeding it all sorts of vegetables,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe turtle is living the highlife.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Additional tidbits to this story:<\/p>\n Pat decided literally yesterday on his way to the game that this was going to happen. <\/p>\n He and some of the players were mulling over what animal he should pull out of his pocket. <\/p>\n A couple people suggested a gerbil or hamster, but he decided on\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) April 4, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n <\/p>\n This story was originally published April 4, 2026 at 1:45 PM.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n Emily Curiel
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