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Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. Named AL MVP Finalist
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- Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. Named AL MVP Finalist
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Kansas City Royals had a disappointing year for a multitude of reasons including an inconsistent bottom half of the lineup. Even as they ended up missing the playoffs for the second-straight season, their homegrown star in Bobby Witt Jr. remained a huge bright spot.
With that, the 26-year-old shortstop was named an AL MVP Award finalist for the second time in his career since 2024 when he finished second to the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge who got the nod.
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This time, Witt Jr. will be up against Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero and the Astros' Yordan Álvarez who each had excellent seasons as well.
Witt Jr. has a solid case for earning the award this year. Through 143 games, he slashed .281/.359/.441 and recorded an impressive .800 OPS. He also logged a 6.7 WAR, proving the effect he had not just in the lineup but also in the infield.
Defensively, he recorded 24 outs above average that kept Kansas City in many games, especially when they faced stronger teams in the league like the division rival Cleveland Guardians.
However, the Royals' continued struggles may hurt his chances given that Houston made the playoffs while the Rays were this year's World Series runner-up. Witt Jr. also logged a 33.8% chase rate and 24.8% whiff rate, figures that were greater than those of both Caminero and Álvarez.
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Nonetheless, one thing that all three candidates have in common is their ability to mash lefties. Witt Jr. excelled in that regard, batting .297 while his numbers against righties were not that far off as he slashed .276/.349/.434.
Still, Kansas City has seen the emergence of other talent in their offense besides Witt Jr. Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen were key pieces that took a step forward this year with Caglianone earning a spot in the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby and launching 23 homers to wrap up the season.
Jensen also led the Royals with 81 RBI and 27 homers, further demonstrating that the Royals didn't win matchups just because of Witt Jr.
While I'm not trying to take away from the season Witt Jr. had, it appears that Álvarez and Caminero will have a bigger shot at getting the crown, especially Álvarez who propelled a middling Astros team to an AL West title with an 81-81 record.
Even then, Witt Jr.'s combination of outstanding hitting and superb defense might sway voters' perceptions in the coming days.
