The Kansas City Royals announced their 2026 team award winners Monday, which were voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the BBWAA.
Bobby Witt Jr. was voted Les Milgram Player of the Year, an award named in honor of the late Kansas City businessman, community leader and Royals board member. Right-handed pitcher Michael Wacha was voted Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year, named in honor of the late Kansas City-area sportscaster.
Salvador Perez was voted the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award winner, named in honor of the Royals Hall of Famer, who was the club’s General Manager and President during his 20 years with the Royals from 1973-92. The award is given to an unsung player who contributed beyond what was expected or someone voters felt deserved recognition for an outstanding season.
Witt Jr. has won Royals Player of the Year in each of his five seasons in the Majors, including unanimous selections in 2023 and 2024. He is the first to win Royals Player of the Year honors in five consecutive seasons. Since the award was established in 1971, Witt Jr.’s five Royals Player of the Year Awards are 2nd most, trailing only George Brett, who won the award a club-record eight times.
Witt Jr., 26, slashed .281/.359/.441 (157-for-558) this season with 94 runs, 33 doubles, 18 home runs, 54 RBI, 45 stolen bases and an .800 OPS in 143 games. He ranked among the American League leaders in stolen bases (2nd), doubles (T-6th), hits (9th), runs (9th) and batting average (T-9th) and his 7.0 fWAR ranked 2nd in the Majors, trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong (10.6).
Witt Jr. has already been named a finalist for the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award and the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at shortstop, honors he won each of the last two seasons (2024-25). Last Friday, he was named the MLBPAA Heart & Hustle Award winner for the third consecutive season, becoming the first three-time winner since the award was established in 2005.
Wacha, 35, went 9-10 with a 3.32 ERA (74 ER in 200.2 IP) in 32 starts, while recording career highs in starts, innings and quality starts (21). He led the American League in both innings and quality starts, becoming the third Royal to lead the AL in both categories, according to Elias, following Bret Saberhagen in 1989 and James Shields in 2013.
Wacha in 2026 was the third pitcher in the Divisional Era (since 1969), according to Elias, to lead the American League in both innings and quality starts in his age-34 season or older, following Roger Clemens in 1997 and Justin Verlander in 2019.
Wacha made his 300th career start on May 31, becoming the 10th active pitcher to reach that milestone. On June 26, he recorded his 1,500th career strikeout, becoming the 17th active pitcher to hit that mark. He was named an All-Star in 2026 for the second time in his career and the first since 2015 with the Cardinals. He was the third player, according to Elias, to have at least 10 seasons between All-Star selections, following Bert Blyleven (11, 1973-85) and Schoolboy Rowe (10, 1936-47).
Perez, 36, recorded 21 home runs and 78 RBI in a team-high 152 games in 2026, his 15th season in the Majors, all with the Royals. This is the second time he’s won the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award (2022). He also won the Les Milgram Player of the Year Award in 2020 and 2021.
On July 25 in Detroit, Salvy hit the 318th HR of his career, passing Brett (317) for the franchise’s all-time home run record. He is one of three active players who owns his current team’s all-time HR record, along with Mike Trout (426 HR with Angels) and Manny Machado (224 HR with Padres).
Salvy finished the season with 324 career HR, tied with Gary Carter and Lance Parrish for 5th most all-time among primary catchers, trailing Hall of Famers Mike Piazza (427), Johnny Bench (389), Carlton Fisk (376) and Yogi Berra (358).
Perez’s 324 HR are the 3rd most among active players who have hit all their HR with the same team, trailing only Trout (426 HR with Angels) and Aaron Judge (386 HR with Yankees).
The 2026 season marked Salvy’s 10th with at least 20 HR, extending his franchise record over Brett, who hit at least 20 HR in eight seasons.
Perez is a nine-time All-Star, five-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, five-time Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award winner, the 2015 World Series Most Valuable Player, 2024 Roberto Clemente Award winner and was named the fourth Captain in Royals history in 2023.