The Kansas City Royals are still alive in the American League Wild Card picture. Despite being overtaken in the standings by the red-hot Texas Rangers, they are only 2 1/2 games back at 70-68. They are hoping to reach the postseason for a second consecutive year after winning 86 games and securing the second Wild Card spot last year. Despite a few rough patches, they have remained in the mix.
Several key players have stepped up for the Royals, while others have remained consistent forces this year. Bobby Witt Jr. is one player that has remained consistent and has been one of the top players in Major League Baseball this year.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently ranked all 30 MLB teams’ starting shortstops, and Witt took the cake for the best one in the league.
“He might not match his 2024 production, but Bobby Witt Jr. has firmly established himself as the best all-around shortstop in baseball. He has already clinched a second straight 40-double, 20-homer, 30-steal campaign,” Reuter wrote on Tuesday.
“Defensively, his 21 Outs Above Average are tied with Masyn Winn for the most in baseball across all positions, and he has come a long way in a short time since putting up ugly defensive marks at shortstop as a rookie in 2022.”
Witt is slashing .297/.354/.504 with 20 home runs, 76 RBI, 34 stolen bases, a 6.0 WAR and an .857 OPS. Despite not being in the MVP race thanks to the offensive outbursts of Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, Witt remains one of the top players in the league and is by far one of the top shortstops the league has seen in years.
He is a two-time All-Star, Silver Slugger, former Gold Glover and batting champion. The Royals selected Witt in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft from Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas. He made his Major League debut back in 2022 and has made drastic improvements ever since, even finishing second behind Judge in the MVP race in 2024.
Even with a crowded MVP race, Witt has put together a very solid season at the plate and defensively, and is still by far one of the top shortstops in the league. It will be interesting to see what he’ll be able to accomplish.
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