The Kansas City Royals nominated shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. for an award.
While the Kansas City Royals as a whole have underperformed this season, none of the blame falls on shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Now in his fifth MLB season, the 26-year-old remains one of the best all-around players in the game.
For the first time in his career, Witt started at shortstop for the American League in the All-Star Game. Across 511 at-bats he has hit .280 with a .360 on-base percentage, .808 OPS, 18 home runs and 54 RBIs.
For just the second time in his career Witt has also stolen 40 bases while being caught just eight times. He has continued to set the standard at shortstop, grading out as one of the best defensive players in the league and well on his way to another Gold Glove Award consideration.
He did spend time on the 10-day injured list back in July with lower back tightness, but overall it has been another strong individual season.
Unfortunately his efforts have not translated into team success. Kansas City is not heading to the postseason once again this year, entering Tuesday's series opener against the Houston Astros with a 66-84 record.
As the season winds down and Witt prepares to enter the offseason hoping 2027 tells a different story for his club, the Royals took the time earlier this week to honor him for his efforts off the field.
"Representing the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, both on and off the field. We're immensely proud of who Bobby Witt Jr. is both on and off the field, and we're proud to have him as our 2026 Roberto Clemente Award nominee!" the Royals wrote on X.
Witt has made community involvement a central part of his identity as a Royal, dedicating a lot of time and resources to fighting ALS through partnerships with organizations like Susanna Smiles, Sarah's Soldiers and the Team Hilliard Foundation.
Over the past three seasons he has hosted clinics for more than 400 local youth and helped raise over $150,000 publicly for ALS research. Each year on Lou Gehrig Day he organizes suite and ballpark experiences to honor those impacted by the disease.
Beyond his ALS advocacy, Witt has championed literacy in Kansas City schools through the Royals Literacy League Classroom Champion program, helping increase literacy scores by over eight percent in participating classrooms.
He was also named the first-ever PLAY BALL Ambassador in 2025, using his platform to encourage youth participation in baseball and softball across the country. For a player of his caliber to invest this deeply in his community speaks volumes about his character.
