'There's An Apprenticeship': Why Host Believes Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. Can't Win MVP

Is seniority a factor when it comes to winning MVP?

Sep 10, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) throws the ball to first base for an out during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is having a marvelous season. So, too, is the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge.

Witt and Judge are the two best players in all of baseball this season by wins above replacement. One is a do-it-all shortstop leading the world in batting average, while the other is the game's most prodigious slugger who opposing pitchers fear like no one else.

It's clear that the two are the runaway favorites for American League Most Valuable Player, and in any given season, both would be more than worthy of the award. But the scales seem to be tilted in Judge's favor--he's a -2500 betting favorite to win MVP as of Wednesday, per Vegas Insider.

Even if Witt doesn't end up the more deserving player over Judge, it has seemed for weeks that he won't even get a fair shot. And one national baseball personality--intentionally or unintentionally--highlighted perfectly why this awards race hasn't given Witt a fair shake thus far.

Wednesday on MLB Network, TV personality Chris "Mad Dog" Russo said that he doesn't believe Witt can overtake Judge in MVP voting in part because Judge has had more MVP-caliber seasons than Witt in the past.

"You could go Witt, (but) Judge is going to win. I'd be surprised if he doesn't," Russo said. "I think there's an apprenticeship with an MVP... you almost gotta have a couple of years before you win one... It shouldn't be that way, but it is."

Russo also made the case that although some give partial credit to Yankees teammate Juan Soto for Judge's success, Witt has had similar star talent around him in catcher Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino (who he wasn't able to name, simply calling him "the first baseman").

For what it's worth, Baseball Reference, Perez and Pasquantino have been worth a combined 4.0 WAR in 2024. Soto alone has been worth 7.3, and his OPS of .998 dwarfs both Perez (.812) and Pasquantino (.760).

Ultimately, it's a close race, and Judge has at least as good an argument as Witt does. But Russo's argument makes it seem as though there are things in Witt's way that simply shouldn't be there. A player from Kansas City is always going to struggle to outshine a player from New York if all other things are equal, and that's an unfortunate fact in all professional sports.

Perhaps Witt will have a better chance to win MVP in future seasons, but most voters tend to think like Russo does. That's why it will be Judge's name on the plaque this fall, even if Witt outplays him down the stretch.

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