Kansas City Royals Congratulate Bobby Witt Jr. for MLB Award

Bobby Witt Jr. made history on Friday, and the Kansas City Royals congratulated him for his individual efforts. The MLBPAA announced Witt as the Heart and Hustle Award winner for the third consecutive season, making him the first player to win it three times since the award was established in 2005.

Hall of Famer Craig Biggio had been the only two-time winner, taking the honor in 2006 and 2007. The Royals congratulated their franchise superstar on social media. "We're tremendously proud of our three-time @MLBPAA Overall Heart and Hustle Award winner, Bobby Witt Jr.!" the team wrote on X.

The award recognizes passion for the game and the values a player represents on and off the field. Each club has one player nominated, with former players, fans and active major leaguers all involved in the voting.

Witt has been Kansas City’s nominee every year of his career. His background makes it easy to understand why. His father, Bobby Witt Sr., pitched in MLB for 16 seasons.

The game has been in his life from the beginning, and that shows in how he plays. He hosted a youth baseball camp in July 2024 to support a retired police officer and Royals fan living with ALS, the kind of gesture the MLBPAA specifically recognizes when it hands out this award.

On the field, his 2026 season continued to make the case. Witt hit .281 with 18 home runs, 54 RBI, 157 hits and 45 stolen bases in 143 games, posting a .359 on-base percentage and .800 OPS. His 45 steals ranked second in the American League. 

None of his success came in a winning environment. Kansas City finished 69-93, last in the AL Central and 16 games out of first place.

Witt was a second overall pick in 2019, won the batting title in 2024, took home back-to-back Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers in 2024 and 2025, and has represented Team USA in the World Baseball Classic twice. The individual accolades have never been the issue. Building a capable roster around him has been the challenge.

He is a finalist for the AL MVP Award alongside Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays. He is also an AL Silver Slugger finalist. Witt did miss out on a Gold Glove this year after winning the award each of the past two seasons.

Still, the hardware keeps coming regardless of where Kansas City finishes. The front office has work to do this offseason, but Witt is not the problem.