Bobby Witt Jr. came away from another huge season with a third-place finish in American League MVP voting, but the Royals shortstop still has plenty he believes he can build on.
“I think I'm going to look back at [this season] next year, two years, three years down the road and be like, ‘Wow, I learned a lot from 2026,’" Witt said recently. “... I still think there's a lot more that I feel like I didn't leave on the table, but I can get to.”
That mindset fits the season he just put together. On Thursday night, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America placed Witt third in AL MVP voting behind Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, who won unanimously, and Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, who finished second.
Witt collected 188 points, with two second-place votes and 11 third-place votes. He finished ahead of New York’s Cam Schlittler, who had 181 points and won the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday night.
The recognition adds to a growing list of honors for Witt. This marks his third straight All-MLB First Team selection at shortstop, and he also picked up his third MLBPAA’s Heart & Hustle Award, becoming the first player to win that honor three times.
Even with injuries cutting into his year and limiting him to a career-low 143 games, Witt still piled up 7.0 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. That was the best mark in the American League and second in the Majors behind Cubs outfielder and NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong, who finished at 10.6.
At the plate, Witt hit .281/.359/.441 with 18 home runs, 33 doubles and 94 runs scored. Among qualified AL shortstops, his batting average, slugging percentage and doubles total were all tops at the position.
The offensive numbers didn’t quite match the heights of his previous two seasons, but Witt did show a sharper eye. He drew a career-high 67 walks, 18 more than he had in 2025, and that helped lift his on-base percentage from .351 to .359.
Once he reached base, the speed took over. Witt stole 45 bases, second most in the AL, and Statcast pegged his sprint speed at an elite 30.1 feet per second.
He also advanced an extra base on 66.7% of his opportunities, according to Baseball-Reference. That production mattered for a Royals lineup that finished 22nd in the Majors with 690 runs scored.
Witt’s value wasn’t limited to offense. His +24 outs above average led all Major League shortstops and ranked third among all fielders, and he reached that number in 14 fewer games than he played in 2025. His +17 fielding run value tied Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn for the best mark at the position.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that level of defensive impact comes from the way Witt prepares. Whether he is taking ground balls or chasing fly balls during batting practice, Quatraro said Witt is always looking for chances to rehearse game-like plays.
"For him, it's just playing baseball and going to have fun like a kid," Quatraro said on Monday.
Witt also had to navigate physical issues throughout the season, including his first career stint on the injured list because of back tightness. But Quatraro said that challenge helped him mature, especially in how he handled communication with the staff when he needed to rest instead of pushing through discomfort.
"That was a huge step forward in his own personal development and something that showed me that he's continuing to grow," Quatraro said.
As Witt heads into another offseason, the Royals are still trying to build around him. General manager J.J. Picollo said the goal is to surround the franchise shortstop with the right support as the club tries to get back to the postseason.
"When you have a player like that who's in his prime years, you want to do everything you can to capitalize on those years and put a good core around him and win baseball games," Picollo said on Tuesday.
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