Royals might have MVP candidate in big-money shortstop

Nowhere in Major League Baseball are the hopes of a franchise resting on a single player more than with the Kansas City Royals and 23-year-old shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Witt is generating buzz as a possible American League MVP candidate headed into his third full season in the majors. 

Witt had a breakout season in 2023 and finished seventh in American League MVP voting after he posted a .276 batting average with 177 hits, 30 home runs, 96 RBI, 49 stolen bases and led the majors with 11 triples. 

The Royals responded by signing Witt to the biggest contract in franchise history in February with an 11-year, $288.5 million deal. Witt responded by reporting to training camp one week early alongside a group of other Royals veterans. 

The American League MVP race seems wide open with Shohei Ohtani now in the National League with the Los Angeles Dodgers — Ohtani won the award two of the last three years. Witt’s odds of winning American League MVP were at +2000 on Thursday, with New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge the favorite at +550 odds. 

One thing that has escaped Witt early in his career is any semblance of team success. The Royals have finished in last place in the American League Central each of his first two seasons, going a dismal 56-106 in 2023. Kansas City hasn’t had a winning record since going 95-67 in 2015 on the way to winning the World Series.