The middle infield of the 2018 USA 18U national team, which won the Pan-American Championships, was made up of Anthony Volpe and Bobby Witt Jr.
They were in opposing dugouts on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium, with Witt exploding in his second season as a big-league shortstop
much like the Yankees anticipate Volpe, who was 1-for-4 in a defeat on Friday, will do the following year.
Witt, a rookie shortstop who got to play a complete season and experience the expected ups and downs, was in Volpe's position the previous year.
He has put together a breakout season this year, giving the Royals a more consistent offensive threat now that he has that experience under his belt.
Witt remarked on Friday after-noon, "You learn something new every day, whether it's through failure, through victory, or just by talking to people in the clubhouse.
I understand that [Volpe] is surrounded by a large number of veterans who, from what I understand, he has been conversing with and learning from. Even simply seeing him improve as a player is very interesting.
This year, he was hitting .273 with a .802 OPS, 29 home runs and 49 steals in 155 games entering Friday. Witt had a big night in the Royals’ win, hitting his 30th homer of the season and going for 2-for-3 with three RBIs.