Bobby Witt Jr. Earns Recognition From MLB After 5th Kansas City Royals Season

The Kansas City Royals have another reason to feel good about Bobby Witt Jr. after a disappointing 2026 season. The 26-year-old shortstop was named one of 10 American League finalists for the Hank Aaron Award, which honors the top offensive performer in each league.

The Royals highlighted the honor on X, asking fans to vote for Witt. "Bobby Witt Jr. has been nominated for the 2026 Hank Aaron Award!" the team wrote.

The nomination gives him another piece of recognition after finishing his fifth MLB season as Kansas City's most productive position player. Despite his consistent production, the team still finished 69-93 and last in the American League Central. They were never in postseason contention.

Witt hit .281 with a .359 on-base percentage and .800 OPS across 143 games, adding 18 home runs, 54 RBIs and 45 stolen bases while posting 6.7 WAR. His 45 steals ranked second in the American League and he remained one of the most complete players at the position in the game.

He also missed time in July with lower back tightness but returned in August and stayed healthy the rest of the way.

The numbers were not quite at the level of his 2024 breakout season, when he hit .332 with a .977 OPS, 32 home runs, 109 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. But, he was still one of the most impactful all-around players in baseball.

Witt was named an AL All-Star for the third straight season and started at shortstop for the first time in his career instead of being a reserve.

It is going to be tough for Witt to win the Hank Aaron Award. Pete Alonso, Yordan Alvarez, Randy Arozarena, Junior Caminero, Willson Contreras, Yandy Diaz, Riley Greene, Ben Rice and Miguel Vargas round out the AL finalists.

Because the award focuses solely on hitting and Witt's value comes from all aspects of the game, he is at a slight disadvantage. Voting is open through October 12th with the winner announced November 11th in Las Vegas.

Kansas City missed the playoffs for the second straight year, but Witt continues to be exactly what the franchise needs at the center of its rebuild.

The next step is continuing to fill out the roster around him with talent. The Royals do have a strong foundation with Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen both living up to expectations. They just need to reinforce the pitching staff to keep them in games for longer.