The Little Bit of Bobby in Us All

What does it mean to do your best, not just for yourself but for others? To challenge yourself beyond the comfort of what you already know, and strive to make an impact that reaches beyond the boundaries of your own little world? These are the questions that resonate far beyond baseball diamonds and locker rooms. They are questions about the kind of society we want to build, the kind of people we aspire to be. And they are brought to life by the rarest examples of human excellence—like Bobby Witt Jr.'s remarkable accomplishment in 2024.

Bobby Witt Jr., the young shortstop who managed to win both the Gold Glove for his defense and the American League batting title for his offensive prowess, has accomplished something that few ever do—excel in two seemingly opposing areas at the same time. He was not content to simply shine on one side of the game. He worked, he pushed, and he brought out the very best of himself, even when doing so meant discomfort, difficulty, and challenge. And this, I believe, is a model not only for baseball but for how we can approach our shared responsibilities as citizens.

Life, just like baseball, loves to box us in—to tell us we must be one thing or another. We’re encouraged to specialize, to pick one lane and stick to it, and to avoid veering off into areas that might be outside our natural talents or interests. But here’s the truth: the world needs more people who are willing to be uncomfortable. The world needs more people who will push themselves out of their zones of familiarity, not just for personal gain but for the greater good—for their communities, for their neighbors, and for the idea that we are all in this together.

Imagine if we applied a little bit of Bobby Witt to our everyday lives. Imagine if more of us decided that merely getting by at our jobs or within our family roles wasn't enough. What if we aspired to be the Gold Glove defender of our neighborhoods—the ones who protect, who nurture, who reach out when things look tough? What if, at the same time, we also strove for the batting title—to be the person who goes the extra mile, who makes sacrifices, who performs when the pressure is on, all in the name of a better, more equitable society?

It’s easy to specialize and stay in the zone where we feel competent. After all, it’s comfortable. It’s predictable. But progress—real progress, the kind that changes not just our own lives but the lives of others—rarely comes from comfort. It comes from the courageous decision to say, "I will be both." I will do my job well, but I will also be a voice for those who have none. I will manage my career with efficiency, but I will also lend my time to help the struggling public school system. I will contribute to my community, not because it's easy, but because that is what we owe to each other.

This, after all, is how we get closer to a thriving society. It's how we turn public policies from abstract concepts into living realities. To embrace a little bit of Bobby Witt in our own lives is to say: "I will strive for more than just my own interests." It is to look at the public good not as someone else's responsibility but as our own. It means working to improve the systems we have—our schools, our infrastructure, our neighborhoods—even when that work isn't glamorous, even when it stretches us in uncomfortable ways.

Bobby Witt Jr. didn’t need to be the best hitter and the best fielder. He could have settled for one or the other and still had a successful career. But he didn’t settle. He chose to strive for more, for both, for excellence in every dimension available to him. And that’s what we need today—more people who refuse to settle, who refuse to say that their part is enough, that their comfort zone defines their limits.

The crises we face—climate change, inequality, threats to democracy—won’t be solved by people who specialize and stay put. They will be solved by those who demand the best from themselves across all domains, who apply their skills and passions for the greater good even if that means venturing into uncomfortable or unfamiliar territory. They will be solved by those who have a little bit of Bobby Witt in them: daring to catch and daring to hit, working for themselves but always keeping an eye on how their work affects the collective.

It's time we ask ourselves—where in our lives can we go for both the glove and the bat? Where can we push ourselves to do more, to cross the boundaries of what is easy and take on what is necessary, not just for ourselves but for all of us together?