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Bobby Witt Jr. He learned a lot about himself during the 2026 season. But if there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, it’s his desire to get better.
“I think I will look back [this season] next year, two years, three years from now and be like, ‘Wow, I learned a lot from 2026,'” Witt said recently. “… I still think there’s a lot more that I feel like is off the table, but I can get it done.”
Houston’s Yordan Alvarez won the award unanimously, with Tampa Bay’s Junior Kaminero in second. Witt collected 188 points, including two second-place votes and 11 third-place votes. He passed New York’s Cam Schlittler (181), who won the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday night.
Injuries limited Witt to a career-low 143 games, but he still collected 7.0 wins above replacement, the highest in the AL and second in the majors to Cubs outfielder and NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong (10.6), according to FanGraphs.
Witt slashed .281/.359/.441 with 18 home runs, 33 doubles and 94 runs scored. The 26-year-old’s batting average, slugging percentage and doubles total were AL-highs.
While he hasn’t replicated the offensive production of his previous two seasons, Witt has improved in his approach at the plate. His career-high 67 walks were 18 more than he drew in 2025, contributing to an increase in his on-base percentage from .351 to .359.
Getting on base gave Witt more opportunities to use his speed.
According to Statcast, Witt stole 45 bases, second most in the AL, while also sprinting 30.1 feet per second. According to Baseball Reference, Witt also advanced 66.7% of his opportunities into extra bases. He scored 94 runs for a Royals offense that ranked 22nd in the Majors with 690 runs.
Defensively, Witt continued to make plays that few others could.
His +24 above-average output led all Major League shortstops and ranked third among all fielders. Witt reached that mark in 14 fewer games than in 2025, while his +17 pitching value tied Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn for the top mark at the position.
For manager Matt Quatraro, those performances are a product of Witt’s preparation. Whether the star shortstop is picking up balls at bats or tracking down fly balls, Witt is looking for opportunities to practice the plays he might face in the game.
“For him, it’s just playing baseball and having fun like a kid,” Quatraro said Monday.
Witt’s all-around production was especially notable given the physical challenges he faced throughout the year, including his first career stint on the disabled list due to back tightness.
But these challenges created opportunities for development.
Quatraro noted that Witt has been more comfortable communicating with the coaching staff when he needs rest, rather than trying to play through discomfort like in previous years.
“It was a huge step forward in his personal development and something that shows me he’s continuing to grow,” Quatraro said.
“When you have a player like that who’s in his prime, you want to take advantage of those years and build a good core around him and do everything you can to win baseball games,” general manager JJ Picollo said Tuesday.
“When you have a star like that, you know you feel the need to compete every year, no matter what you went through the year before.”