It's time for Bobby Witt Jr. to play some ball

What if they held a playoff series and no stars showed up?

The American League Division Series was hailed as a platform for two of the game's best players – Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. Each of them also had a second banana in the lineup that also stole the spotlight – Juan Soto had a season that was would be rewarded with an MVP award in any other season, and Vinnie Pasquantino was one of the best RBI men in baseball until a thumb injury cost him the final month of the season.

In three games this series, this quartet has combined to go 6-of-46 (.130) with 1 RBI.

At least the Yankees get it some Production from their big boppers – Judge and Soto combined for six walks, and Soto had a couple of hits in Game 1. Judge was largely neutralized, much to the apparent disappointment of TBS broadcaster Bob Costas, who excitedly frames the narrative for a big bopper moment at every appearance of the judge's plate, shooting at routine mid-depth fly balls, only to note with regret that the big guy is outside.

The Royals got virtually nothing from their dynamic duo – Witt's single in the eighth inning of Game 3 was the first hit for either one. Bobby and Vinnie, the young pulse of this lineup, combined to go 1-for-25 (.040) with 10 strikeouts. The boys don't play ball.

Vinnie may still be suffering from the effects of his broken thumb, an injury he suffered just six weeks ago. The postseason is a small sample of just five games, but his hard-hit rate is down from 45.8 percent in the regular season to 41.7 percent in the postseason, and his average exit velocity is down from 91 mph to 88 .3 miles per hour decreased miles per hour. In the eighth inning of last night's game, Pasquantino first hit a soft line drive out to Bobby Witt Jr. Can a healthier Vinnie do that for a single?

But for Bobby, the fights are a little more mysterious. He had some bad luck in Game 1 – he took a ball 397 feet with an expected batting average of .940 and it was an out. He later hit a 328-foot batting average that had an expected batting average of .540, but again he gets caught. In the ninth game he hit two borderline low throws* and was boxed out. It happens.

*-no strikes

In Game 2 he struck out three times. Carlos Rodón gets him to hit a fastball outside the zone in the first over. Ian Hamilton gets him to swing a slider way off the plate. Bobby swings a Clay Holmes sinker that almost hits the ground for the third time that day. You can feel he's putting a little pressure on him and trying too hard to make things happen.

In Game 3, he gets a steady diet of sweepers and sinkers from the outside portion of the plate, which has been his weakness all season. But there are signs he's moving on from it. His fly out in the first inning – a 368-foot drive that is a home run at ten other parks (including Yankee Stadium!) – is a long out at Kauffman. In the eighth over, he finally hit the first hit of the series by maneuvering a pitch deep and far away to hit a “ground ball with eyes” through the hole at the shortstop.

His legs took him to third on a single by Salvy.** But ultimately the rally would fail.

**-Should he have tried to steal second place? Remember, Bobby has been caught stealing 12 times this year – only two baseball players have been caught more. Yankees reliever Luke Weaver is one of them best pitcher in baseball when it comes to stopping the running game. Sending Bobby out may also take the bat out of Salvador Perez's hands – perhaps the Yankees are just intentionally handling Salvy, a risky move to get the winning run on base, but since Salvy is slow and Yuli Gurriel is next is the turn, this is a worthwhile move making. I had the idea that it would have made sense to send Bobby as soon as Salvy had two shots against him – if he goes out, Salvy can lead the ninth shot with a new count. But I understand that I don't want to put him in that situation. Salvy is not a batsman. If he hits a gapper, Bobby scores first.

Even more concerning, Bobby had some lapses in defense that normally shouldn't break down the way the bat does. In Game 2, he missed a sharp shot from Giancarlo Stanton. His relay throw early in Game 3 was wild and potentially cost the Royals a play at the plate. He certainly made some great defensive plays, but when the margins are very slim in the postseason, the mistakes become even worse.

Legacies aren't written after just three games. It's well known that some great players aren't postseason performers – until they perform. Salvador Perez – who ultimately won the MVP of the 2015 World Series – started his postseason career going 4-for-34. Bobby is an extremely talented player who in every way has the maturity, confidence and leadership skills necessary to to get out of any crisis and lead a team to victory.

But the Royals have their backs against the wall and now is the time to step up.