From covering ground at shortstop to creating havoc on the basepaths, Bobby Witt Jr. made an impact all over the diamond in 2026.
Along with his production at the plate, those efforts reinforced the Royals star's standing as one of the American League's premier players.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Monday named Witt as a finalist for the 2026 AL Most Valuable Player Award, joining Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Junior Caminero of the Rays.
Witt is the Royals' only BBWAA Award finalist this year, with the winner set to be announced Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. CT on MLB Network.
Witt, 26, played 143 games this year, the fewest of his five-year Major League career, but still accumulated 7.0 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. That mark led the AL ahead of Alvarez’s 6.8 and ranked second in the Majors behind the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong (10.6).
At the plate, Witt led qualified AL shortstops with a .281 batting average, .441 slugging percentage and 33 doubles. He also finished with 18 home runs, 94 runs scored and 157 hits while posting a .359 on-base percentage and an .800 OPS.
Although his offensive numbers were more modest than in previous seasons, Witt showed greater patience at the plate, drawing a career-high 67 walks, surpassing his previous high of 57 in 2024.
While Alvarez and Caminero each showcased their power with 42 home runs this season, Witt strengthened his MVP case with his elite defense at shortstop.
He recorded +24 outs above average, the most among Major League shortstops and third most among all fielders. His +17 fielding run value also tied St. Louis' Masyn Winn for the highest mark at the position.
The 2026 All-Star also stole 45 bases, second most in the AL behind Chandler Simpson’s 46, while recording his fifth consecutive season with at least 30 steals. He also became one of just five players in Royals history with multiple 40-steal campaigns, having previously stolen 49 bases in 2023.
According to Statcast, Witt averaged 30.1 feet per second in sprint speed, placing him among the fastest players in MLB.
Witt finished second to Aaron Judge in AL MVP voting in 2024 and fourth last season, making this his third consecutive top-five finish.
Should he win the award, Witt would become just the second player in franchise history to earn MVP honors, joining George Brett, who won the AL MVP Award in 1980.