Bobby Witt Jr., Michael Wacha and Salvador Perez have been selected as the Royals’ 2026 team award winners, with the Kansas City Chapter of the BBWAA making the call.
Witt Jr. took home the Les Milgram Player of the Year Award, which honors the late Kansas City businessman, community leader and Royals board member. It’s another entry in a remarkable run for the 26-year-old, who has now won Royals Player of the Year in all five of his major league seasons.
No one had ever done that before. Since the award began in 1971, only George Brett has more of them, with eight.
Witt’s season backed up the hardware in a big way. He hit .281/.359/.441 with 157 hits in 558 at-bats, scored 94 runs and added 33 doubles, 18 home runs, 54 RBI and 45 stolen bases across 143 games.
He finished near the top of the American League in several categories, ranking second in steals, tied for sixth in doubles, ninth in hits and runs, and tied for ninth in batting average. His 7.0 fWAR also placed him second in the Majors, behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong at 10.6.
On the pitching side, Michael Wacha earned Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year, an award named for the late Kansas City-area sportscaster. The right-hander, 35, went 9-10 with a 3.32 ERA in 32 starts, giving up 74 earned runs in 200.2 innings.
He set career highs in starts, innings and quality starts, finishing with 21 of those. Wacha led the American League in innings and quality starts, becoming the third Royal to do it in both categories, according to Elias, after Bret Saberhagen in 1989 and James Shields in 2013.
Salvador Perez was recognized with the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award, named after the Royals Hall of Famer who served as the club’s general manager and president from 1973-92. The award goes to the player who contributed beyond expectations or simply deserved special recognition for the season he put together.
Perez, 36, played in a team-high 152 games in his 15th major league season, all of them with Kansas City. He finished with 21 home runs and 78 RBI.
It’s the second time he has won the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award, after also earning it in 2022. He previously won the Les Milgram Player of the Year Award in 2020 and 2021.
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Royals Make Another Bullpen Bet Fans Have Seen Before
The Royals have added another arm to the mix, signing reliever Hobie Harris to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. It is the kind of move Kansas City has made before, a low-risk bet on a pitcher with a long minor league track record and a brief major league look with the Washington Nationals, aimed at giving the club more options as it sorts through its pitching depth.
For a team coming off a difficult 2026 season, the bullpen remains an obvious area to reinforce, and Harris fits the profile of a depth addition who can compete for a role without forcing the issue. Whether he becomes more than organizational insurance will be decided in camp, but the Royals are clearly continuing to stockpile experienced relief help as they try to stabilize the late innings. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Face A Costly Pitching Race With White Sox This Winter
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What makes this search more complicated is the calendar. With the possibility of a lockout hanging over the offseason, the Royals may not have the luxury of being patient while other clubs circle the same pitchers. For a team trying to close the gap in a division race, the challenge is not just identifying the right fit, but moving fast enough to land one before the window narrows. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Fans Just Got An Early Look At Kauffman In 2027
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Beyond that first pitch, the schedule is built with the usual mix of afternoon and evening games, giving Kauffman the kind of rhythm fans have come to expect over a long summer. All listed times are in Central Time and still subject to change, but for supporters looking ahead, the club has at least put the calendar on the board. [Read more 🡒]