"Bobby Witt Jr., Josh Hamilton are neck and neck" - Royals skipper claims $288.7M superstar's only comparison is controversial Rangers legend 

Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro offered a bold take on Bobby Witt Jr., suggesting that the only fair comparison in terms of physical talent is Josh Hamilton. A five-time All-Star for the Texas Rangers and 2010 AL MVP, Hamilton had a career marred by controversy before and after achieving fame in MLB.

Witt Jr. is the face of the franchise, having signed an 11-year, $288.7 million contract extension, the largest in franchise history, in February 2024. Living up to expectations, Witt Jr. came second in the 2024 AL MVP race, only behind Aaron Judge.

Quatraro's comments were shared in a conversation captured during his appearance on Diggin' Deep Shows on Wednesday, where the Royals skipper dove into what makes Witt Jr. such a rare breed of athlete.

"The only guy, the other guy, is Josh Hamilton," Quatraro said [Timestamp 47:13]. "The physicality there, not too many body types like Josh that could do all that stuff that he could do, that usually little guys do. And he just had the physicality to it. Different animal there with body. But they're neck and neck."

In size, Witt Jr. is slightly shorter and lighter than Hamilton. However, his blend of power, speed and defensive prowess has drawn praise across the league.

Hamilton was selected first in the 1999 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. However, a car accident in 2001 and subsequent drug abuse resulted in suspensions during his minor league days.

Hamilton bounced back, but experienced relapses in his sobriety in 2009, 2012 and 2015. Moreover, he was arrested and charged with injury to a child following allegations of physical abuse from his daughter. Subsequently, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful restraint in 2019.

Meanwhile, Hamilton's performance inside the ballpark was nothing short of spectacular. He played nine seasons in MLB, almost half of them with the Texas Rangers, where he was a perennial All-Star. The Rangers inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2019. He will receive the Hall of Fame jacket on August 9.

Royals coach tells story of Josh Hamilton's dominance

Royals skipper Matt Quatraro played minor league baseball from 1999 to 2003. During the tail end of his career, Quatraro got the chance to see firsthand how great Josh Hamilton was.

After his retirement and subsequent coaching role, Quatraro saw Hamilton, fresh from a return from suspension in 2006, leaving skilled teammates in awe.

"We had a whole bunch of outfielders that were like dual-sport, really good athletes. Fast, but they were small," Quatraro said [Timestamp 48:36]. "And he [Josh Hamilton] comes back after a couple days of getting in shape, and these guys were like, he was faster than them. "He could clearly hit the ball harder and further than them. He could run balls down. He could throw. And these guys were like, 'We're in trouble.' And I said, 'Yeah, but they're not, these guys aren't everywhere, or like, there's only one of this guy, or a couple of these guys, even in the big leagues."

The Royal skipper shared that he urged the players to work hard without being intimidated by Hamilton. Funnily enough, Quatraro pointed out that he can never forget the look on the players' faces that showed "we can't do that" written all over it.

Edited by Krutik Jain