Royals' Witt Jr. completed one of the best months in history

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. just completed one of the best months in MLB history

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Jul 31, 2024 7:20 PM ET

Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. put the cherry on top of an epic July on Wednesday, helping Kansas City win, 10-3, over the hapless Chicago White Sox.

The AL MVP contender went 2-for-3 at the plate, giving him 44 hits in the month. Per OptaStats, that's the most hits by a player in a single month since Lou Gehrig (55) in June 1930.

OptaStats also shared that Witt's July batting average (.489) is the highest since Gehrig's .495 average 94 years ago.

Bobby Witt Jr. of the @Royals finished July with 44 hits and a .489 batting average.

The last MLB player with at least that many hits and that high of a batting average in a calendar month was Lou Gehrig in June 1930 (55 hits, .495 average). pic.twitter.com/XymqMK72fI
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 31, 2024

Since the All-Star Break when he competed in the Home Run Derby, Witt's numbers are even more absurd.

Since July 19, Witt is batting .565, with 26 hits in 46 at-bats.

If not for Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Witt would be the runaway favorite to be named AL MVP later this season.

Per ESPN Bet, Judge (-900) is a heavy favorite to win the honor, while Witt (+550) is second.

Witt leads the majors with 151 hits and a .349 batting average. Judge has a minuscule 7.5-7.2 edge in wins above replacement (WAR) over Witt (h/t FanGraphs), but the Kansas City shortstop outperforms the AL MVP favorite in the field.

Per FanGraphs, he has the No. 1 defensive rating in the majors while Judge is 107th.

The Royals (60-49) just completed a three-game sweep of the White Sox (27-84) and play the Tigers (52-57) in a four-game series next. They're six games behind the Guardians (65-42) for first in the AL Central, but with Witt on an unbelievable run, they shouldn't be overlooked.

If he leads Kansas City to a comeback in its division over the next two months, he could snatch the MVP award that for so long has been Judge's to lose.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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