Royals Superstar Has 'Compelling Argument' To Win AL MVP, Says Insider
There's only one name that most people associate with the Kansas City Royals these days: Bobby Witt Jr.
Sure, the Royals have a stout pitching staff, Salvador Perez in the cleanup spot, and a bunch of speedsters who play excellent defense. But Witt is the engine that makes Kansas City tick, and they're nearing a playoff berth mainly due to his incredible talents.
As a 24-year-old who just put up his second-straight 30-homer, 30-stolen base season (the first shortstop ever to do it twice), Witt would be a lock to win American League Most Valuable Player in most seasons.
Unfortunately, there's a 6-foot-7 behemoth on the New York Yankees having one of the best offensive years of all time. Most consider Aaron Judge to be the prohibitive MVP favorite, but one insider says Witt still has a case
On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan named Witt his AL MVP runner-up behind Judge in a year-end awards column. He also said Witt has a case for the award, even if winning it is unlikely.
"Witt is threatening to exceed 10 wins above replacement, a rare number for any player, let alone one who doesn't win MVP. There's a compelling argument to be made that Witt warrants the MVP ahead of Judge.," Passan said.
"The problem is Judge's season and voters' predilection for favoring offensive production above all else. At 24, Witt has plenty of time to stock his trophy case in the coming years. His time will arrive soon enough."
Witt's season numbers are simply incredible. He's slashing .331/.386/.598, good for a 170 OPS+. That would be enough to make him an MVP candidate simply on offense, but he also has 17 outs above average as a shortstop, one behind the Cleveland Guardians' Andrés Giménez for the MLB lead among infielders.
As Passan references, Witt's time is coming. And fortunately for the Royals, he's all theirs for at least another decade.
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JACKSON ROBERTS
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org