Kansas City Royals Make Bobby Witt Jr. Voting Request to Fans

Bobby Witt Jr. is trying to do something no player has ever done, and the Kansas City Royals need their fans to help make it happen.

"Fan voting for the @MLBPAA Overall Heart and Hustle Award is now open! Cast your vote to help Bobby bring home his third straight Overall Heart and Hustle Award!" the team wrote on X. They also added a link for fans to cast their votes.

Witt has been nominated as Kansas City's candidate for the 2026 Heart and Hustle Award. The award is presented annually by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association to an active player who best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.

Former players select one nominee from each club, and then fans, alumni and active big leaguers vote on the overall winner. Fan voting accounts for 5% of the final result and closes November 2. The winner will be announced November 6.

Witt won the award in both 2024 and 2025, becoming the first player since Craig Biggio in 2006 and 2007 to win in consecutive seasons. A third straight win would be unprecedented. No player in the 21-year history of this award has won it three times.

Biggio is the only other player to win it twice. The list of past overall winners includes Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Roy Halladay and Mookie Betts. Witt winning a third consecutive time would put him in a category entirely his own.

There is a ton of competition this year. The full field of 30 team nominees includes some notable names. Trout, who won the overall award back in 2012, is the Angels nominee again. Paul Goldschmidt, the 2022 overall winner, is the Yankees nominee.

On the field in 2026, Witt hit .281 with a .359 on-base percentage, 18 home runs, 54 RBI and 45 stolen bases across 143 games. He finished with 157 hits and 33 doubles and earned his third consecutive All-Star selection.

He also dealt with lower-back tightness in July that sent him to the injured list for the first time in his career, but he came back and finished the season on a high note.

The Royals went 69-93 and finished last in the AL Central. It was a disappointing season overall, but it had nothing to do with Witt's efforts. 

The Heart and Hustle Award is not a statistical honor. It rewards character, effort and what a player represents to the game. Witt has made that case back to back. Fan voting is open through November 2 and a third straight win would put his name somewhere no one else has ever been.