KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was included in the same list Monday as New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.
The trio are the finalists for the Major League Baseball Players Association’s Player of the Year Award, an award voted on by fellow players.
Witt is also included as one of three finalists for the American League’s Outstanding Player Award along with Judge and Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez.
Witt, 24, led the Royals to a remarkable turnaround season — from 106 losses in 2023 to 86 wins and a wild-card berth in 2024.
The club advanced to the American League Division Series where they lost to the eventual American League champion Yankees.
Drafted by the Royals with the second overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Witt’s third big league season was a breakout campaign, posting a 9.4 wins above replacement score.
Witt batted .332 on the season, which earned him the AL batting title. He hit 32 home runs to go along with 31 stolen bases for a 30-30 achievement.
But the competition for player of the year will be intense.
The Yankees' Judge posted a 10.8 WAR on the season during which he clobbered 58 home runs.
Judge’s game is more geared toward power, so his 10 stolen bases are far fewer than Witt, but Judge did hit .322 on the season.
However, both players might struggle to compete against Ohtani.
The Dodgers star posted a 9.2 WAR on the season in which he mashed 54 homes and collected 59 stolen bases. Ohtani hit .310 on the season.
For the American League Outstanding Player award, in addition to Judge, Witt faces AL Central rival Ramírez.
The Guardians star was instrumental in powering his team to the American League Championship Series.
On the season, Ramírez posted a 6.8 WAR, thanks to his 39 homers, 41 stolen bases and .279 batting average.
Winners will be announced during the pregame show of FOX’s coverage of Game 2 of the World Series Saturday night in Los Angeles.
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