Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez headlined the Royals’ annual team awards, with Michael Wacha also taking home top pitching honors after a season that put him in rare company.
Witt Jr. was voted Les Milgram Player of the Year, while Wacha earned Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year. Perez picked up the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award, given to an unsung player who went beyond expectations or simply deserved recognition for an outstanding season.
For Witt, the honor keeps stacking up. He has now won Royals Player of the Year in each of his five Major League seasons, including unanimous selections in 2023 and 2024. He’s the first player to win the award five straight times, and his five total wins are second only to George Brett’s club-record eight since the award was created in 1971.
The 26-year-old shortstop put together another all-around force of a season, hitting .281/.359/.441 with 94 runs, 33 doubles, 18 home runs, 54 RBI, 45 stolen bases and an .800 OPS 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, ninth in runs and tied for ninth in batting average. His 7.0 fWAR was second in the Majors, behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 10.6.
Witt’s trophy case keeps growing, too. He’s already a finalist for both the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award and the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at shortstop, and he won both of those honors in each of the last two seasons. Last Friday, he was also named the MLBPAA Heart & Hustle Award winner for the third straight year, becoming the first three-time winner since the award began in 2005.
Wacha’s season was just as notable, even if the win-loss record doesn’t tell the whole story. The 35-year-old went 9-10 with a 3.32 ERA in 32 starts, logging career highs in starts, innings and quality starts with 21. He led the American League in innings and quality starts, becoming the third Royal to top the league in both categories, according to Elias, joining Bret Saberhagen in 1989 and James Shields in 2013.
His workload also landed him in a very small historical group. According to Elias, Wacha in 2026 became just the third pitcher in the Divisional Era to lead the American League in innings and quality starts in his age-34 season or older, following Roger Clemens in 1997 and Justin Verlander in 2019.
The milestones kept coming. Wacha made his 300th career start on May 31, becoming the 10th active pitcher to reach that mark.
Then on June 26, he struck out his 1,500th batter, making him the 17th active pitcher to do so. He was also named an All-Star in 2026 for the second time in his career and the first since 2015 with the Cardinals, becoming the third player, according to Elias, to go at least 10 seasons between All-Star selections, after Bert Blyleven and Schoolboy Rowe.
Perez’s recognition came after another big year in a Royals uniform. In his 15th Major League season, all with Kansas City, he hit 21 home runs and drove in 78 runs while appearing in a team-high 152 games.
It’s the second time he has won the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award, after also taking it in 2022. He previously won Royals Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021.
On July 25 in Detroit, Perez hit the 318th home run of his career, moving past Brett’s 317 for the franchise record. He is one of three active players who owns his current team’s all-time home run mark, alongside Mike Trout with the Angels and Manny Machado with the Padres.
Perez finished the season with 324 career home runs, tied with Gary Carter and Lance Parrish for fifth all-time among primary catchers. He trails Mike Piazza, Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk and Yogi Berra on that list.
His 324 homers are also the third most among active players who have hit every one of their home runs with the same team, behind Trout and Aaron Judge. And with this season, Perez reached 10 years with at least 20 home runs, extending his franchise record over Brett’s eight such seasons.
In Other News...
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
The Royals are heading into the winter with pitching squarely on the agenda, and the urgency is easy to understand. Kansas City wants to strengthen a staff that can keep pace in the AL Central, where the White Sox remain the measuring stick, and the market is expected to be crowded with teams chasing the same arms. Clay Holmes, Bryan Abreu and Sean Newcombe are all on the radar, giving the Royals a few different paths to explore as they try to add impact without waiting around for the market to sort itself out.
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 🡒]
Bobby Witt Jr And Salvador Perez Define The Royals Right Now
Bobby Witt Jr., Michael Wacha and Salvador Perez were the names the Royals expected to see honored when the Kansas City Chapter of the BBWAA handed out the clubs 2026 team awards. Witt was recognized as the Les Milgram Player of the Year, Wacha took home Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year honors and Perez earned the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award, a familiar trio for a team that has leaned heavily on its established core all season.
The awards also underscored how much the Royals still revolve around those three players, with the article laying out their season numbers and the historical context behind each honor. Witts rise, Wachas steady work on the mound and Perezs enduring place in franchise history all fit the same theme, even if the latest chapter leaves room for the bigger question of how far this group can carry Kansas City next. [Read more 🡒]