Yankees Captain Draws Praise From Royals Superstar: 'He's The King Of New York'
In Major League Baseball, game respects game.
Making it to the big leagues is already nearly impossible, and becoming a superstar is exponentially tougher. The elites of the elites are truly special ballplayers, and it's no surprise that those elites have respect and admiration for each other.
Such is the case with Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who has become one of baseball's youngest superstars. Still only 24, Witt is the projected runner-up in the American League Most Valuable Player race in 2024.
The reason Witt is likely to finish second is that New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is turning in a season for the ages. And with the Yankees and Royals set to square off in the Bronx this week, Witt took a moment to appreciate the greatness of the man who will be his rival for the next few days.
"He's just so consistent," Witt said, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. "That's the name of the game: Stay healthy, stay on the field and help the team. He does that in a good way, and he does it the right way. He's not out there showboating. He's a big dude. He can do whatever he wants. He's the king of New York."
Judge, who has been one of the game's best players since his rookie season in 2017, has certainly taken notice of the young Royals shortstop's ascent to superstardom over the past two seasons.
"He's the complete player," Judge said, per Passan. "Can hit, run, field, do everything. He was already a great player last year, but he continues to improve every single game I watch him."
In 2024, Judge has ascended to another level. With a 1.150 OPS, the 32-year-old has a 147-point lead on the game's second-best hitter, his teammate Juan Soto. Witt is tied for third with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani at .992.
Aside from being the top two MVP candidates, Judge and Witt share another thing in common this season: Their teams would be in much worse positions without them.
The Yankees have a half-game lead atop the AL East, while the Royals are 1 1/2 games up on the Minnesota Twins for the second wild-card spot. But with noticeably thin rosters outside of their superstars, New York and Kansas City are dependent on Judge and Witt to perform every night.
They've both delivered all year. Monday night in the Bronx, they'll look to continue doing so against each other.
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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