Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr., C Salvador Perez win Silver Slugger honors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Accolades continue to roll in for the Royals after a season of renewed hope and energy.

Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and catcher Salvador Perez both earned Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards on Tuesday.

The honor is Witt’s first Silver Slugger as he was a finalist in 2023 but fell short.

In 2024, Witt led the league with a .332 batting average and 211 hits. He also hit 32 home runs and became the first shortstop in MLB history to record consecutive 30/30 seasons.

Witt, 24, beat out Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Texas' Corey Seager for the honor.

Earlier this month, Witt was awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for American League shortstop. He was also named a finalist for Major League Baseball's MVP award.

Royals captain and catcher Perez now has five Silver Slugger awards.

Perez has been named a finalist for the honor for 10 of the last 11 seasons, the only exception being the year he missed due to injury.

In 2024, Perez ranked first in his position in RBI (104), on-base percentage (.330), slugging percentage (.456), OPS (.786) and extra-base hits (55).

The 34-year-old was the oldest American League catcher up for the award. He beat out Houston’s Lanier Diaz, Oakland’s Shea Langeliers and Seattle’s Cal Raleigh.

All-time, with the addition of Witt, 11 Royals players have won 18 Silver Slugger awards.

The Royals open the 2025 season against the Cleveland Guardians at 3:10 p.m. on March 27 at Kauffman Stadium.

—