The Kansas City Royals have begun to play much better baseball and have even fought their way back into the American League Wild Card picture. They are now only three games back of the Seattle Mariners for the third and final spot after winning 86 games last year and taking the second spot.
The Royals have benefitted from key contributions from several players this year. Players such as Maikel Garcia have stepped up and taken on larger roles, but some of the usual suspects have also remained franchise cornerstones.
That certainly is the case for star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report listed his top 10 MVP candidates for the American League and National League, and Witt was on the list for the AL.
“Bobby Witt Jr. is a victim of his own success in the sense that this year feels a little underwhelming after he posted a staggering 10.5 WAR and finished runner-up in AL MVP voting last season,” Kelly writes.
“But if you set aside last year, Witt is still having an incredible campaign. He leads baseball with 41 doubles, has 34 stolen bases, and an .858 OPS. Even if he’s not tracking as high as last year in the WAR category, FanGraphs currently has his 6.5 mark as third among all AL position players.”
Witt is hitting .298/.354/.501 this season with 19 home runs, 74 RBI, a 6.0 WAR and a 137 OPS+. He has by far been one of the best players in Major League Baseball this season. Unfortunately, he is likely already buried in the MVP race due to the heroics of two-time MVP Aaron Judge and Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh, who has been hitting home runs at a rapid pace this year.
However, Witt at least deserves some consideration for the way he has helped the Royals stay in contention despite a few bad months. The Royals are 69-65 and still have a decent shot at making it to the postseason for the second consecutive year. If they are going to make it, they will need Witt to continue producing at the plate.
The Royals have work to do, but Witt is still putting together a solid season and can be considered one of the top players in the league. We’ll see if he can stay hot.
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